Ambassador Katarina Mathernova: Ukraine will help the EU overcome the innovation gap

Ambassador Katarina Mathernova: Ukraine will help the EU overcome the innovation gap

EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Mathernova:

What if the country fighting for survival today could shape Europe's future tomorrow?

In my recent interview with DW, I spoke about something we don't say often enough: Ukraine is not only receiving support from the EU. It also has something powerful to give back.

If Europe wants to close its innovation gap, it should look to Ukraine.

A country at war has been forced to adapt faster than anyone else. Ukrainians are building world-class solutions under pressure. From drone technologies to the most advanced digital government in Europe.

This is not just resilience. It is ingenuity.

And it challenges a long-standing mindset in Europe, that EU enlargement is a one-way street, where the EU gives and others receive. That thinking is outdated. What we need is a shift. A shift to see Ukraine as a partner that strengthens not only Europe's security, but also its competitiveness, creativity, and future.

Yes, change is never easy. Every previous EU enlargement has brought doubts and fears. Whether it was Spanish and Portuguese wine forty, or Polish plumbers and Czech truckers twenty years ago. But all rounds of enlargement have also made Europe stronger.

It is tragic that it took a full-scale war for many Europeans to truly discover Ukraine. But now they have. And many are impressed. Many are inspired.

Ukraine is defending Europe.

Ukraine is helping to reinvent Europe.

Read the full interview