Decentralisation should be a 'priority' on way to Ukraine's reconstruction

While aspiring for a fair and long-lasting peace, Ukraine must continue decentralisation reforms, strengthen the fight against corruption and maintain citizens' support to the overall reform process. This was the key message delivered by members of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) during a meeting on 28 November with Ukrainian representatives from national, regional and local levels.

In discussions in Prešov in eastern Slovakia, members of the CoR's Working Group on Ukraine emphasised that the extraordinary powers conferred by martial law must not undermine long-term progress on decentralisation, local democratic governance and public-administration reform, and highlighted the value of the transparent and inclusive involvement of local and regional authorities in reforms linked to EU accession.

Referring to current efforts to establish peace in Ukraine, members said that any agreement must fully guarantee Ukraine's sovereignty and integrity as well as assuring its freely chosen European aspirations.

The meeting of the Working Group on Ukraine, which also updated the CoR's 10-point support plan for Ukraine, was preceded on 27 November by a seminar with members of the CoR's Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs (CIVEX) focused on cross-border cooperation with Ukrainian cities and regions. The seminar looked in particular at initiatives in the Carpathian region, a region that includes parts of Ukraine, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary and Romania.

The host of the meetings and organiser of the seminar – Milan Majerský (SK/EPP), President of the Prešov Self-Governing Region – emphasised the need for an EU 'Carpathian strategy', more investment in road infrastructure in the region, and new, more flexible frameworks for cross-border cooperation.

Members of the CoR were able to enter Ukraine, visiting Uzhhorod to discuss with the city's mayor and to see first-hand examples of cross-border cooperation, including for the rehabilitation of war veterans.

Quotes:  

• Patrick Molinoz (FR/PES), vice-president of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, member of the Working Group on Ukraine meeting, and the CoR's rapporteur on the 'Enlargement package 2025 – Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia': "Ukraine’s path to EU membership must not overlook the conditions for sustainable reconstruction or the strengthening of a decentralised institutional framework that fully empowers local authorities. The enlargement of the EU will benefit from being built in line with the needs and expectations of citizens, and thus with the active involvement of cities and regions. Throughout the EU, it is local authorities that design and implement the everyday policies that most directly address the needs of citizens. Their involvement will not only facilitate the path to membership but, even more importantly, ensure its concrete and lasting success for the citizens of the 27 member states and for Ukrainians. Now, more than ever, the voices and actions of cities and regions are essential to the fulfilment of the European ideal." 

• Oleksii Riabykin, Deputy Minister for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine: "Due to the war, the disproportions in regional development have increased dramatically. Our state is truly in a balancing act, and it is very difficult to develop our regions under such challenges. But we are doing so. Despite the war, the economy is showing positive development. Right now, our country and our regional and local administrations face a critical challenge: to survive this winter without losing people, while continuing reforms and maintaining a vibrant environment at every level." 

• Oleksandr Syenkevych, Mayor of Mykolaiv, representing the Association of Ukrainian Cities (AUC): "There are three key messages from Ukrainian communities. First, involvement. Decisions affecting communities must be developed with their participation. Second, focus on results. Institutions should solve real problems but not exist formally. Third, shared responsibility. All the levels of government and European partners should work together to implement decisions. These principles reflect the vision of Ukraine as a modern, democratic, decentralised European state." 

 More information:  

• Details of meetings: Documents and video from external seminar of the CoR's Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs (CIVEX) on "Ukraine's path to EU integration and recovery: the role of regional cross-border cooperation", 27 November; documents and video of the 10th Working Group on Ukraine, head on 28 November; photos of both events. On 26 November, Prešov also hosted a meeting of the CoR's informal Carpathian Intergroup, to which Ukrainian local and regional leaders were invited. 

• Ukrainian attendees: Among the Ukrainians present in Prešov were the leaders of four Carpathian regions – Zakarpattia, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Chernivtsi – as well as the mayor of Mykolaiv, the head of Kharkiv Regional Council, a representative from the Odesa region, and representatives of associations representing Ukraine’s sub-national administrations: Association of Ukrainian Cities, Ukrainian Association of District and Regional Councils (UAROR), the Association of Amalgamated Territorial Communities, All-Ukrainian Association of Communities. Oleksii Riabykin, Deputy Minister for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine, and the mayor of Kharkiv, representing the Association of Frontline Cities and Communities, contributed online. 

• Working Group on Ukraine: The core mission of the CoR Working Group on Ukraine is to maintain a continuous dialogue between European and Ukrainian local and regional representatives and to deepen understanding of the situation on the ground in order to be able to provide the best possible support. Both Ukraine and the European Committee of the Regions have requested that the contacts be further upgraded, by establishing a Joint Consultative Committee with fixed membership on the Ukrainian side; a formal decision to this effect is expected soon. 

• Support package for Ukraine: Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the CoR adopted a 10-point support package to boost Ukraine's resilience and to facilitate the country's integration into the EU. The updated plan will be available on the CoR's website.  

• Enlargement: In June 2022, Ukraine became a candidate for EU membership and formal negotiations began in June 2024. In September 2025, Ukraine completed the screening process to identify the current alignment of policies. On 4 November, the European Commission issued its annual report on progress on EU-related reforms by enlargement countries, noting progress in Ukraine's governance, regional development, and EU alignment but pointing to the need to make improvements in the protection of the rule of law, anti-corruption measures, and lack of local administrative capacity. In a review of Ukraine's EU-related reforms adopted in April 2025, CoR members praised Ukraine's alignment with the EU’s foreign and security policy, "significant progress" in reforms, and acknowledged "progress in local governance, reconstruction and decentralisation" while emphasising "the need for continued efforts to increase the administrative capacity and fiscal autonomy of local government units". 

• Ukraine Recovery Conference: Webpage. The CoR's Working Group on Ukraine discussed the CoR's potential contribution to the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC), the international community's largest annual event dedicated to cooperation to help Ukraine's reconstruction. At the URC, the CoR represents the European Alliance of Cities and Regions for the Reconstruction of Ukraine, which it co-founded in 2022. In 2026, the URC will be held in Poland.  

• Training programme for local officials: In March 2025, the CoR launched the Training and Internship Programme Support for Ukrainian Municipalities (TIPS4Ukraine). U-LEAD – a partnership between the Ukrainian government, the European Union, Germany, Denmark, France, Poland and Slovenia – is responsible for day-to-day implementation of the programme, which is part-financed by the EU's Ukraine Facility.  

• Study on EU support for Ukrainian sub-national authorities: "Capacity building for local and regional authorities in the light of the Ukraine Facility (Pillar III)", commissioned by the CoR and published in 2025 (summary also available).