On 15 May, the EU Committee of the Regions held a forum in Brussels on building partnerships to strengthen municipal ties between the European Union and Ukraine, which was held in the format of a political meeting of the European Alliance of Cities and Regions for the Recovery of Ukraine.
The event brought together representatives of European institutions, national governments, local authorities, international organisations and donor programmes working to support Ukrainian regions.
Oleksiy Ryabykin, Deputy Minister of Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine, took part in the forum. In his speech, he stressed that communities are not just ‘recipients of aid’ but the heart of the recovery process. According to him, decentralisation has allowed communities to make decisions on their own, implement projects and maintain resilience in the most difficult moments of the war.
“Our communities are epicentres of strength and resilience. This is the heart of our country, which does not stop even under fire. Thanks to decentralisation, communities make their own decisions, implement projects, and build their future. And to make it transparent, we have created the DREAM platform, which shows every step of the reconstruction – from the need to the last hryvnia spent. We are not just restoring infrastructure – together with Europe, we are building a new model of unity,” said Oleksiy Ryabikin.
He also stressed that Ukraine’s recovery should be based on a long-term strategic approach. It is not only about social infrastructure, but also about spatial planning, agglomeration development, strengthening the capacity of local authorities and systematic interaction with donors. Ukraine is striving to modernise its regions, create a new quality of life, transparent institutions and reliable mechanisms of cooperation with the European Union.
The forum featured panel discussions on the development of municipal partnerships, transparency in recovery, involvement of local authorities in the management of funds, and preparations for the URC-2025 international conference to be held in Rome in July.
Particular attention was paid to practical cases: participants shared stories of cooperation between Ukrainian and European cities, including Zhytomyr and Kassel, Lviv, Uzhhorod, Kharkiv and Brno. New municipal partnership agreements were also signed.
The event was also an important stage in the preparations for the International Conference on the Restoration of Ukraine (URC-2025), which will be held in Rome in July. It is there that new partnership agreements will be signed and systemic solutions for engaging communities in the recovery process will be presented.
Follow the Ministry of Communities and Territories Development on social media Facebook, Twitter, Telegram та WhatsApp