Local and Regional Leaders building bridges for Ukraine’s Recovery and EU Path
Brussels, 15 May 2025 – The European Alliance of Cities and Regions for the Reconstruction of Ukraine gathered its core members and Ukrainian and EU delegations at the European Committee of the Regions in Brussels to accelerate cooperation ahead of the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC) in Rome this July.
This high-level forum brought together municipalities from across Europe and Ukraine, alongside institutional partners, to exchange on Ukraine’s evolving territorial needs and to foster meaningful, lasting partnerships. At the heart of the discussions was a shared goal: empowering local governments to co-lead reconstruction, support reforms, and drive the local dimension of Ukraine’s EU accession process.
CEMR’s Contributions: Tools for Lasting Cooperation
Speaking at the forum, Durmish Guri, CEMR’s Director of Projects and Programmes, presented two key initiatives from CEMR designed to foster long-term collaboration between EU and Ukrainian municipalities:
🔹 The Matchmaking Platform: This digital tool connects municipalities across Europe, helping them identify shared priorities, explore cooperation opportunities, and launch joint projects. With a special focus on Ukraine, the platform supports deeper partnerships with the rest of the continent, accelerating both recovery efforts and Ukraine’s EU integration process.
Learn more → https://partnerships.ccre-cemr.org/
🔹 The Bridges of Trust Community: Evolving from a project into a growing community, Bridges of Trust brings together local leaders from Ukraine and across the European Union, alongside national associations and institutional partners. This consolidated community is committed to strengthening local partnerships by supporting municipalities in co-designing practical solutions in areas of common interest. By reinforcing bonds from the ground up, it empowers municipalities, accelerates Ukraine’s EU integration, and contributes directly to its recovery.
Learn more → https://ccre-cemr.org/bridges-of-trust
Political Level meeting
The core members of Alliance adopted the Joint Statement on Empowering Local and Regional Governments for the Reconstruction and Future EU Accession of Ukraine to which CEMR contributed. In particular, CEMR put forward two key recommendations:
- Establishing a one-stop shop to coordinate and scale up municipal partnerships;
- Ensuring stronger access for local governments to financial resources and decision-making processes, particularly within the Ukraine Donor Platform.
These proposals aim to amplify the voice of local and regional governments, ensuring that municipalities remain central actors in Ukraine’s reconstruction and path to EU integration.
Memorandum of Understanding
A key highlight came with the signing of a new partnership between Kassel (Germany) and Zhytomyr (Ukraine)—a symbolic and practical demonstration of how municipal cooperation is directly shaping Ukraine’s recovery on the ground.
A Shared Mission
CEMR expresses deep appreciation to all co-organisers for hosting a timely and impactful dialogue. Special thanks go to the European Alliance of Cities and Regions for the Reconstruction of Ukraine for championing this process and uniting dedicated partners around a common cause.
The presence of committed, action-driven leaders— including Magali Altounian, Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, Andrej Horvat, Svitlana Blinova, Vadim Boychenko, Oskar Chmiel, Antonella Valmorbida, Alberto Rini, Kata Tüttő, Oleksii Riabykin, Davide La Cecilia, Pekka Toveri, and many more – demonstrated the collective energy powering this growing movement of cooperation.
Project Officer – International Partnerships (U-Lead)
