EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Mathernova has said Ukraine could help the European Union close an “innovation gap”, citing rapid development in areas such as drone technology and digital public services during the war.
Mathernova made the remarks in an interview with Deutsche Welle, where she argued that Ukraine should be seen as a partner that can contribute to Europe’s security and economic competitiveness, the European External Action Service (EEAS) announced on Wednesday.
She stated that Ukraine had been “forced to adapt faster than anyone else” since Russia’s full-scale invasion, and described Ukrainians as building “world-class solutions under pressure.”
The ambassador pointed to drone technologies and Ukraine’s digital government systems — online tools used by citizens to access public services — as examples of areas where Ukraine could offer expertise.
EU enlargement and Ukraine’s role
Mathernova said there was a “long-standing mindset” in Europe that EU enlargement is a “one-way street” in which the EU gives and candidate countries receive, and argued that approach is “outdated.”
She noted previous rounds of EU enlargement had also faced public concerns, giving examples including fears about Spanish and Portuguese wine producers and, later, “Polish plumbers and Czech truckers.”
Mathernova described it as “tragic” that a full-scale war was needed for many Europeans to “truly discover Ukraine”, and said Ukraine was “defending Europe.”
