Bridges of Trust Partnerships Award 2026: Europe’s dedicated award for municipal cooperation with Ukraine unveils its Ambassadors on 14 October
On 14 October 2026, the Bridges of Trust Award Ceremony will take place in Brussels, during the European Week of Regions and Cities, celebrating the first edition of an award for outstanding municipal partnerships between Ukraine and the rest of Europe. The ceremony will reveal and celebrate the six Bridges of Trust Ambassadors 2026, along with one special recognition.
The award was launched by the European Partnership Hub Secretariat (EPHS), hosted by the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), together with the Bridges of Trust Community. It is supported by the EU and its member states through the U-LEAD with Europe programme.
Municipal partnerships with Ukraine
Town twinning has existed across Europe for decades, connecting towns, cities and regions through exchange, cooperation and shared projects. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, many of these partnerships, along with new ones formed specifically in response to the war, have become active channels of support: vehicles, generators, hospital equipment, hosted refugees and staff exchanges, organised directly between municipalities.
Several of this year’s Ambassador partnerships also show cooperation moving in both directions, with Ukrainian municipalities sharing crisis-management and civil protection expertise with their European partners.
A range of partnerships
The selected partnerships reflect the diversity the Award set out to capture: partnerships from across different regions of Ukraine and Europe, spanning small, medium and large municipalities; working across different thematic areas; and including both long-standing twinnings and partnerships formed after the full-scale invasion, many of which have moved from immediate solidarity to sustained, mutually beneficial cooperation.
The call for applications was open to Ukrainian municipalities of all sizes and their partners in Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Montenegro, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and Sweden. Applications were pre-selected by national and regional associations across these countries, then assessed by a jury of representatives from CEMR, U-LEAD with Europe and the European Committee of the Regions. The four Ukrainian associations of local governments validated the final selection.
Practical information
Bridges of Trust Award Ceremony 2026
14 October 2026 | 18h40 – 20h40 (CET)
Brussels
Watch live in English | Watch live in Ukrainian
For more information, contact:
Project officer – Communications & Events
