A delegation of Ukraine's Central Election Commission, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and embassy representatives conducted consultative visits to Slovakia and Latvia from 30 June to 3 July 2026, focusing on legal, administrative, security and logistical aspects of organising out-of-country voting for future post-war elections. The visits, supported by the EU-funded INSPIRE UA project, included meetings with host-country authorities, electoral bodies, police, security services, and anti-corruption agencies, as well as discussions with Ukrainian diaspora communities in Bratislava and Riga.
The programme is part of the INSPIRE UA project (Inclusive Support for Participation, Involvement, Representation, and Engagement of Ukrainians Abroad), implemented by International IDEA from August 2025 to August 2026. The project aims to strengthen Ukraine's democratic institutions and ensure their integrity, transparency and resilience in the post-war period, based on the Roadmap on Functioning of Democratic Institutions adopted by the Government of Ukraine in May 2025 as part of EU accession commitments.
In Bratislava, the Ukrainian delegation consulted with the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, the Ministry of the Interior, and the Police Force on legal and operational frameworks for out-of-country voting, including coordination among electoral authorities, diplomatic institutions and police. A meeting with MEMO 98 addressed election-related media monitoring, countering disinformation, foreign information manipulation and interference, and strengthening public trust in electoral processes. In Riga, meetings with the Central Election Commission of Latvia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the State Police, and the State Security Service covered Latvia's practical experience in organising out-of-country voting, including establishment of polling stations abroad and institutional coordination. A meeting with the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau focused on safeguarding electoral integrity through oversight of political party and campaign financing.
Since September 2025, the INSPIRE UA project has supported consultative visits to 13 EU Member States. The next and final visit is planned for Hungary on 9-10 July 2026, followed by a conference to present project results on 28 July 2026. The project will deliver a comprehensive report with best practices and recommendations in July 2026 to support further policy dialogue.
The visits strengthen institutional dialogue and practical partnerships with EU Member States, providing insights into the scale and distribution of Ukrainian communities abroad and coordination models for future planning. Key stakeholders impacted include Ukrainian electoral authorities, who gain operational knowledge for post-war elections; Ukrainian citizens abroad, who may benefit from improved voting access; host-country authorities, who must accommodate additional polling arrangements; and EU institutions, which support Ukraine's democratic resilience as part of its accession process.