TARAN Stanislav

Russia’s war on Ukraine: the response of Local and Regional Governments

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It has been two weeks since Vladimir Putin launched Russia’s war against Ukraine. The Ukrainian people are the first victims. Ukraine’s mayors are on the front line mitigating the damage: organising shelters and evacuations, providing food and water and sharing essential information with residents. The European Union’s sanctions and the withdrawal of Western corporations are isolating Russia, but on the ground the bombs and battles roll on, neighbourhood by neighbourhood.

Mayors are coping with this situation with their residents and organised groups of military and territorial defence, where possible. The news we receive town by town is very hard to hear, each one becoming a fortress, while remaining connected to each other where possible through the associations of local and regional governments and the national government.

Local and regional governments bordering Ukraine are welcoming refugees in the best possible conditions. Further afield, countless municipalities across Europe are taking action. In Gent, a city platform has been created for residents to register their flat to host refugees. Meanwhile, the city of Paris is offering free transport and crèche spaces for refugees. Coordination with the national government is often taking place through our national associations.

Many questions continue to be asked about how to continue to support peers in Russia who oppose Putin’s regime and how to support the Russian population demonstrating against the war every day, while at the same time putting maximal pressure on Russia, and its Belarusian ally, to withdraw their troops from Ukraine immediately.

At our level, CEMR is doing what it can to support the Ukrainian people, Ukrainian local and regional governments, and all those affected by the war. In 14 days, over 700 mayors and local or regional elected officials have already condemned the Russian attack and expressed their solidarity with their peers in Ukraine by signing CEMR’s political declaration.

In addition, we are:

• Maintaining daily contacts with our members in Ukraine
• Sharing information on the humanitarian needs of Ukrainian municipalities with our 60 national associations
• Maintaining contacts with our 20 partner Ukrainian and European cities involved in the Bridges of Trust project
• Responding to requests from our members on how to help

In the future we want to see how EU funds can be used to cope with the effects of the war in Ukraine and bordering countries and municipalities. The kinds of support needed must still be determined.

Looking ahead, CEMR is organising a task force with our members to exchange and coordinate on how to best support Ukrainian municipalities and the people of Ukraine. We will continue to provide regular updates on European local and regional governments’ actions in this crisis.

European local and regional governments stand in support and solidarity with their peers in Ukraine

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In a statement issued by the CEMR on 24 February 2022, local and regional leaders across Europe, strongly condemn the multiple attacks and violations of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine. They express their full support and solidarity to the Ukrainian people and their peers in local and regional government.

Expressing their views on the situation, CEMR President Stefano Bonaccini, CEMR Spokesperson on International Affairs Carola Gunnarsson and CEMR Executive President Jan van Zanen said: “We will not accept that our European values and integrity be attacked again by the Russian Federation after the violation of Georgian territories by Russia in 2008. We are firmly opposed to the dismemberment of a free and democratic state in Europe.”

They call on local and regional governments throughout Europe to endorse the statement by filling out this form.

To date, CEMR collected 795 signatures from 23 European countries.

The full statement:

We, local and regional leaders across Europe, strongly condemn the multiple attacks and violations of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine. We express our full support and solidarity to the Ukrainian people and our peers in local and regional government. We will not accept that our European values and integrity be attacked again by the Russian Federation after the violation of Georgian territories by Russia in 2008. We are firmly opposed to the dismemberment of a free and democratic state in Europe.

The escalation of violence, repeated bombings and attacks on Ukrainian cities and territories are a serious threat to the preservation of peace and democracy across Europe. We call on the Federation of Russia to cease its attack, to leave the national territory of Ukraine, to respect all international treaties and fundamental principles of international law and to recognise the full sovereignty of Ukraine over all its territories, including Donbas and Crimea.

Firmly convinced of local democracy and city diplomacy, based on the values of peace that unite our municipalities across Europe since 1951, we stand by the Ukrainian municipalities, cities, hromadas, districts, raions and their representative associations. They are in the front line to protect the population and provide basic services to offer them good quality living conditions and daily survival. The destruction of infrastructure by the belligerents jeopardises the efficient and safe maintenance of basic public services provided by Ukrainian local and regional governments to their citizens.

As European local and regional governments, representing 60 national associations across 40 European countries, including Ukraine, we will continue to work to support them in their efforts. Not only are we ready to support our peers in the country with the materials and expertise they may need in the days and weeks to come. Municipalities and regions will probably have to face soon the human consequences of such a tragedy for Europe, probably resulting in a flow of humanitarian refugees. Coordination with our national governments will be essential. 

As the European section of UCLG, let us hope that city diplomacy will soon unite us all again!

European municipalities and regions stand by Ukrainian local governments

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In a declaration adopted on 14 February 2022, the Council of European Municipalities and Regions condemns unprovoked Russian military build-up on the Ukrainian border towns and regions and continued threats against Ukraine in recent months.

We express our deep concern over the current developments around Ukraine, which pose new threats to Ukraine and regional peace, security, and democracy.

Indeed, faced with the tense security situation, Ukrainian local governments are affected and obstructed from creating democratic development of their cities and regions, from proper functioning of local public services, and from taking care of their citizens. Furthermore, due to the tense security situation, implementation of decentralisation and public administration reforms could be restricted, which is categorically unacceptable.

We express our solidarity with the people of Ukraine, local and regional governments, especially in the East of the country, who have suffered greatly since 2014 as a result of the war, and are now living under daily threats of the military offensive against Ukraine while simultaneously continuing to innovate and reform the country.

We reaffirm our full and unwavering support for the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine and all Eastern neighbourhood countries within their internationally recognized borders. These principles are enshrined in international agreements of which Russia is a signatory, form the basis of European security, and cannot be revised.

We welcome the European Commission’s recent emergency macro-financial assistance package to Ukraine. We urge the EU institutions and national governments to be united, speak with one voice, and strengthen assistance to the Ukrainian local governments. They are in direct contact with the citizens and continue to provide all public services under the threat of conflict and energy blackmail.

CEMR, with Europe’s municipalities and regions, will continue to support Ukrainian local and regional governments and their associations. We will continue supporting the development of Ukraine through its contribution to decentralised cooperation, the growth of city-to-city and region-to-region ties.

To know more about how local government works and operates in Ukraine, discover its country profile in our TERRI Report.

Bridges of Trust online Forum: strengthening ties between Ukrainian and EU municipalities

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Over 100 representatives of local government from Ukraine and the EU gathered virtually on 10 December 2021 to discuss how to create and revitalise partnerships between Ukrainian and EU municipalities. This unique online forum was the scene of both lively discussions and the exchange of practical recommendations and best practices.

The event was moderated from both Brussels and Kyiv and was organised by the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), PLATFORMA and the U-LEAD with Europe Programme.

Municipal partnerships: a driver of democratisation and reform

In the morning, the participants were greeted by four speakers. Viacheslav Nehoda, Ukrainian Deputy Minister for Communities and Territories Development, emphasised the importance of learning and applying the best practices of EU municipalities. He cited in particular the areas of education, healthcare, land management, community involvement and investments.

Xavier Camus, Head of Co-operation Section 1 — Good Governance and Rule of Law of the EU Delegation to Ukraine, argued that municipal cooperation is an important component of EU-Ukraine relations.

This was echoed by CEMR Secretary General Frédéric Vallier, who noted that local and regional governments are well positioned to drive Ukraine’s democratisation and reform processes, and to bring EU policies and projects in the country closer to the people. 

Bastian Veigel, GIZ Director of U-LEAD with Europe, stressed that EU-Ukraine municipal partnerships are important for the implementation of decentralisation reform.

During the forum, participants learned about the objectives and planned activities in the framework of the “Bridges of Trust” initiative. Virtual meetings between partner-municipalities have already started to take place. The main focus of these meetings is on identifying mutual interests, outlining the scope of joint actions and agreeing on the goals and modalities of the study trips and internships to the EU municipalities to be held in 2022. 

A study of existing EU-Ukraine municipal partnerships, which was carried out within the initiative, was also presented to the participants. The study contains key success and failure factors of international municipal cooperation and many useful recommendations to those municipalities who would like to start or improve an existing partnership, as well as to the third actors who support EU-Ukraine municipal cooperation.

Lively online discussions

There were lively debates during a a panel discussion on how to build successful partnerships, with numerous exchanges both between the panelists and the participants via an online chat. Yuliia Noskova, Director of Shyroke Municipality’s Development Agency (Ukraine), and Olena Ovcharenko, Project manager at Engagement Global, shared practical tips and examples.

Roma Žakaitienė, Director of the Association of Local Authorities in Lithuania (ALAL) and Lyudmyla Damentsova, Deputy Executive Director of the Association of Ukrainian Cities (AUC), provided examples of how national associations support municipalities in their international cooperation efforts. 

During the afternoon, the 20 municipalities of the Bridges of Trust initiative were presented through an original and memorable “Eurovision of municipalities” presentation. They are:

1. Kakhovka municipality (Ukraine) and Narva (Estonia)

2. Novohuivynske municipality (Ukraine) and Lazdijai district municipality (Lithuania)

3. Fastiv municipality (Ukraine) and Druskininkai municipality (Lithuania)

4. Chuhuyiv municipality (Ukraine) and Kuldīga municipality (Latvia)

5. Zboriv municipality (Ukraine) and Joniškis district municipality (Lithuania)

6. Henichesk municipality (Ukraine) and Wieliczka (Poland)

7. Korosten municipality (Ukraine) and Ukmergė district municipality (Lithuania)

8. Solotvyno municipality (Ukraine) and Sol’ village (Slovakia)

9. Dolyna municipality (Ukraine) and Šiauliai district municipality (Lithuania)

10. Polyanytsya municipality (Ukraine) and Polanica-Zdroj (Poland)

Partnerships for people

Local leaders also shared their motivations for joining the partnerships. Mayor of Ukmergė Rolandas Janickas said in a video: “I have no doubt that by developing a friendship with Korosten, we will become stronger together.” For her part, Mayor of Chuhuiv Halyna Minaevaaffirmed that “The initiative will help the municipality find new opportunities to grow, learn and apply the best practices of European colleagues in their own work.”

In his closing remarks, Durmish Guri, Director of External Resources and Knowledge Strategy at CEMR, expressed his hope that the 20 municipalities would make the most of their upcoming exchanges and study visits.

“We hope that Ukrainian municipalities will use the knowledge that they will receive during these activities and will apply it in their communities, to improve a specific service or a general organisation and management of the municipality”, Guri said. “And let’s not forget that the ultimate beneficiaries of all of these activities and of your international partnership should be the citizens of your communities.”

For more highlights from the Forum, consult the exchanges on Twitter under the hashtag #BridgesofTrust.

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«Мости довіри»: Посилення муніципальної співпраці між громадами України та Європейського Союзу

Понад 100 представників органів місцевого самоврядування з України та ЄС зібралися минулого тижня (10 грудня 2021), щоб обговорити, як створити та покращити партнерські відносини між громадами України та ЄС. Цей унікальний онлайн-форум cтав платформою для дискусій, обміну практичними рекомендаціями та найкращими практиками.

Захід був організований Радою європейських муніципалітетів та регіонів (CEMR),  PLATFORMA  та Програмою  «U-LEAD з Європою», а спільна модерація була проведена з Брюсселя та Києва.

Муніципальні партнерства: драйвер демократизації та реформ

У першій половині дня, учасників вітали чотири доповідачі. В’ячеслав Негода, заступник Міністра розвитку громад та територій України, наголосив на важливості  навчання  та застосування кращих практик муніципалітетів ЄС, особливо в таких сферах як: освіта, охорона здоров’я, землеустрій, залучення громад’ян та інвестицій.

Ксав’є Камю, керівник Програм співробітництва щодо належного урядування та верховенства права Представництва ЄС в Україні, відзначив, що муніципальне співробітництво є важливою складовою відносин між Україною та ЄС. Це повторив генеральний секретар CEMR, Фредерік Вал’є, який підкреслив, що місцеві та регіональні органи влади мають всі можливості для стимулювання процесів демократизації та реформ в Україні, а також для наближення політики та проєктів ЄС у країні ближче до людей. Бастін Файгель, директор Програми «U-LEAD з Європою» від GIZ, наголосив,  що  муніципальне партнерство Україна-ЄС є також важливим для реалізації реформи місцевого самоврядування.

Під час форуму учасники дізналися про цілі та заплановані заходи в рамках ініціативи «Мости довіри». На разі, в рамках ініціативи вже проходять віртуальні зустрічі між партнерами.  Основна увага під час цих зустрічей зосереджена на визначенні взаємних інтересів, окресленні обсягів спільних дій та узгодженні цілей навчальних поїздок до муніципалітетів ЄС та стажувань, які пройдуть у 2022 році.

Учасникам також було представлено дослідження існуючих муніципальних партнерств Україна-ЄС, яке проводилося в рамках ініціативи. Дослідження містить ключові фактори успіху та невдач міжнародного муніципального співробітництва та багато корисних рекомендацій для тих громад, які хотіли б розпочати чи покращити існуюче партнерство, а також для третіх учасників, які підтримують муніципальну співпрацю між Україною та ЄС.

Жваві онлайн-дискусії

Під час панельної дискусії, відбулися жваві дебати про те, як побудувати успішні партнерські відносини, з численними обмінами як між доповідачами, так і між учасниками через онлайн-чат. Юлія Носкова,  директорка КУ “Агенція розвитку Широківської ТГ” (Україна), та Олена Овчаренко, керівниця проєкту, «Муніципальні партнерства з Україною», Engagement Global, поділилися практичними порадами та  прикладами.

Рома Жакайтієне, директорка Асоціації місцевих органів влади Литви, та Людмила Даменцова, заступниця Виконавчого директора Асоціації міст України (АМУ), навели приклади того, як національні асоціації підтримують громади в їх зусиллях з міжнародного співробітництва.

У другій половині дня 20 громад  учасниць ініціативи «Мости довіри» були представлені у динамічному форматі-презентації «Євробачення громад». Серед них:

1. Каховська громада, Херсонська область – Нарва, Естонія
2. Новогуйвинська громада, Житомирська область – Лаздійський район, Литва
3. Фастівська громада, Київська область – Друскінінкай, Литва
4. Чугуївська громада, Харківська область – Кульдізький край, Латвія
5. Зборівська громада, Тернопільська область – Йонішкіський район, Литва
6. Генічеська громада, Херсонська область – Величка, Польща
7. Коростенська громада, Житомирська область – Укмергський район, Литва
8. Солотвинська громада, Закарпатська область – Соль, Словаччина
9. Долинська громада, Івано-Франківська область – Шяуляйський район, Литва
10. Поляницька громада, Івано-Франківська область – Поляни́ця-Здруй, Польща

Партнерство для людей

Мери муніципалітетів та голови громад також поділилися мотивами участі в ініціативі та налагодженні партнерських відносин. Мер Укмергського району,  Роландас Яніцкас, наголосив у відеозверненні:  «Я не сумніваюся, що розвиваючи дружбу з Коростeнем, ми разом станемо сильнішими».  Міська голова Чугуївської громади,  Галина Мінаєва переконана,  що  «Інітіатива допоможе громаді знайти нові можливості для зростання, навчання та застосування кращих практик європейських колег у власній роботі».

У своєму заключному  слові,  Дурміш Гурі, директор з питань проєктів та стратегії управління знаннями (CEMR), висловив надію, що 20 муніципалітетів візьмуть максимум найкращих практик з майбутніх обмінів та навчальних візитів.

«Ми сподіваємося, що українські громади використають знання, які вони отримають під час цих заходів, і будуть застосовувати їх у своїх громадах, щоб поліпшити конкретну муніципальну послугу або загальну організацію та управління громадою»,- сказав пан Гурі. І давайте не будемо забувати, що кінцевими бенефіціарами всіх цих заходів і вашого міжнародного партнерства повинні бути громадяни ваших громад».

Ця публікація була підготовлена за підтримки Європейського Союзу і його держав-членів Німеччини, Швеції, Польщі, Данії, Естонії та Словенії. Зміст цієї публікації є виключною відповідальністю її авторів та не може жодним чином сприйматися як такий, що відображає погляди Програми «U-LEAD з Європою», уряду України, Європейського Союзу і його держав-членів Німеччини, Швеції, Польщі, Данії, Естонії та Словенії

Stronger together: 6 EU and Ukrainian municipalities join forces to tackle common challenges

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Decentralised cooperation: it’s not just a phrase, but the reality of local governments coming together to tackle concrete problems. Six municipalities from Ukraine, Poland, Latvia and Estonia met last month to kick-start their partnerships as part of the CEMR-PLATFORMA project Briges of Trust. The communities discussed possibilities for future cooperation in a wide variety of areas, including business and investment, tourism and cultural heritage.

On 8 November 2021, the cities of Kakhovka (Ukraine) and Narva (Estonia) held their first meeting online. Kakhovka is located in the south of Ukraine on the banks of the Kakhovka reservoir, formed by the city’s hydroelectric dam. Narva, Estonia’s third-largest city, is on the lower reaches of the Narva River on the border with Russia.

These two communities face a number of common challenges, including developing social support infrastructure for aging populations, loss of young talent to emigration and the need to attract investment. The municipalities will engage in joint activities and knowledge exchange to find solutions to these problems.

Fostering tourism in mountainous regions

On 10 November, officials from the Polish spa town of Polanica-Zdrój and the Ukrainian mountain resort of Polyanytsya presented their communities and discussed joint areas for cooperation and exchange of best practices.

The similarities between the two communities are not limited to their names. Both are popular tourist destinations located in mountainous regions. They share similar challenges in terms of improving tourist infrastructure, nature protection and waste management. In addition, Polyanytsya would like to improve sewage and water management systems as well as attract additional funding for local development.

Capitalising on culture

On 12 November, a productive exchange took place between Chuhuyiv, a district capital in eastern Ukraine, and the Latvian city of Kuldiga. The two communities are interested in business cooperation and promotion of art and culture. Both want to preserve and promote their rich historical heritage and are putting citizens at the centre of their activities.

Kuldiga, a former Hanseatic city, is implementing a programme to preserve the authenticity of its old town, aiming to become a UNESCO World Heritage site. Chuhuyiv, birthplace of the reknowned realist painter Ilya Repin, holds the annual International Repin Plein Air painting event, which has become a meeting place for artists from across Europe.

The partners will continue to develop their cooperation through a series of online meetings. In spring and summer 2022, the Ukrainian municipalities will visit their EU partners to learn best practices and apply them in their own communities.

Online Forum: Strengthening Municipal Cooperation between Ukraine and the EU (10 December)

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Join us on 10 December (9:30 to 15:00 EET/ 08:30 to 14:00 CET) for an exciting day of talks and exchanges about municipal cooperation between Ukraine and the European Union. Taking place online, the event will be conducted in Ukrainian and English with simultaneous interpretation in both languages.

The Forum is organised jointly by the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), PLATFORMA and the U-LEAD with Europe Programme. It will provide a unique space for dialogue and fostering cooperation among local authorities from Ukraine and the European Union. 

Building on success of the previous municipal partnership activities organised by the U-LEAD with Europe Programme and long-lasting commitment of CEMR PLATFORMA in this field, this Forum will highlight:

• viable partnership tools and recommendations for municipalities that want to develop their international partnerships
• successful case studies of EU-Ukraine municipal cooperation and programmes that support it.

Specific attention during the Forum will be given to the 10 municipalities from Ukraine and 10 municipalities from Poland, Slovakia, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia that have recently started partnerships in the framework of the Initiative “Bridges of Trust”. 

The full programme of the Forum can be found here: English, Ukrainian.
To register, please fill in this online form by 3 December 2021.

If you have any questions, please contact Yana.Brovdiy[at]ccre-cemr.org.

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Мости довіри
Посилення муніципальної співпраці між громадами України та Європейського Союзу

Приєднуйтесь до нас 10 грудня (з 9:30 до 15:00 за київським часом / 08:30-14:00 за брюссельським часом) для захоплюючого дня обговорень та  обмінів  про  муніципальну співпрацю між Україною та Європейським Союзом. Форум пройде онлайн. Трансляція буде доступна українською та англійською мовами.

Форум проводиться спільно Радою європейських муніципалітетів та регіонів,  ПЛАТФОРМОЮ та програмою  «U-LEAD з Європою». Він забезпечить унікальний простір для діалогу та сприяння співпраці між місцевими органами влади з України та Європейського Союзу. 

На основі успіхів попередніх заходів на підтримку муніципального партнерства, організованих програмою «U-LEAD з Європою» та досвіду CEMR та PLATFORMA у цій сфері, цей Форум  виділить:

• Інструменти та рекомендації для муніципалітетів, які хочуть розвивати міжнароднi партнерствa
• Успішні приклади муніципального співробітництва між Україною та ЄС  та програми, які його підтримують

Особливу увагу під час Форуму буде приділено 10 муніципалітетам з України та 10 муніципалітетам з Польщі, Словаччини, Литви, Латвії та Естонії, які нещодавно розпочали партнерські відносини в рамках ініціативи «Мости довіри».

З повною програмою Форуму можна ознайомитися тут.
Щоб зареєструватися, будь ласка, заповніть цю форму до 3 грудня 2021 р.

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How cooperation opens up opportunities for small Ukrainian and Lithuanian cities

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What brings closer two cities, one Ukrainian, the other Lithuanian, separated by 700 km? Some will say their similar demographics or town size. Others will put forward their common urban challenges and opportunities.

This is precisely what the “Bridges of Trust” project is heading at: to increasing cooperation and exchange of best practices, knowledge and skills between municipalities in Ukraine and the EU.

On 22 October 2021, a first exchange between Korosten (Ukraine) and Ukmergė (Lithuania) took place online. Earlier, the two municipalities expressed interest to establish a new partnership in the framework of the project.

During this first meeting, the partners presented their respective municipalities and discussed possible areas of cooperation. Speakers on either side noted with great interest how similar the two communities are, for example, in terms of key business sectors (e.g. woodworking), interest in green tourism, culture and even some joint challenges (e.g. ageing of the population, migration of the young people, investments).

Energy efficiency and rising gas prices, waste management, investments and business attractiveness, digitalization of public services, are just some of the topics that were discussed during this first exchange.

The exchanges will continue to take place online during the next months. In spring 2022, it is planned that representatives of Korosten will visit Ukmergė to learn more about its successful projects and to see what aspects of these projects can be taken, adapted and integrated to the local realities in Korosten.  

As correctly pointed out by the mayor of Ukmergė, Rolandas Janickas, it is always better to see something once, and Ukmergė is looking forward to welcome Ukrainian colleagues next year.

About the “Bridges of Trust” project

The project is implemented by the Council of European Municipalities and Regions and PLATFORMA, and is funded by the U-LEAD with Europe programme, a multi-donor action of the European Union and its member states Germany, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Estonia and Slovenia.