Declaration of the European Union's Regions and Cities on Solidarity with Ukraine
The European Committee of the Regions Summit in Marseille on the 3-4 March 2022 with more than 2000 representatives of regional and local authorities of the European Union representing over one million mayors, local and regional elected political leaders, unanimously stand by the people of Ukraine, and agree the following:
Strongly condemn the unprovoked and unjustied military aggression by Russian President Putin against free Ukraine. This is a criminal act against the people of Ukraine, its sovereignty and its territorial integrity. Moreover, it is in breach of international law, our rules-based world order, and jeopardises the entire system of security and stability in Europe;
Ukrainian cities and regions are our direct partners: we, the mayors and regional leaders from all the 27 Member States of the European Union, reiterate our full solidarity with them; we stand ready to put forward to our respective governments and to the Council of the European Union their call for the hardest possible sanctions to be imposed on the government of the Russian Federation;
Call for immediate assistance to the citizens of Ukraine through the swift trigger of the EU Mechanism of Civil Protection for humanitarian assistance by the European Commission; we stand ready to mobilise cities and regions' capacities for humanitarian aid to be delivered to Ukraine at its mayors' request; we encourage Local and Regional Authorities to help the Ukrainian people forced to ee their homes across European cities and regions;
Call for EU support to be delivered to the EU's bordering regions with Ukraine in order to help the authorities to welcome and assist refugees coming from Ukraine, who should be granted refugee status under EU Asylum Law in accelerated emergency procedures;
The future of all Europeans can only rely on democracy and the rule of law as pillars of peace and prosperity; the European perspective oered to Ukraine, a sovereign country, its people, its cities and regions must be strengthened as a deterrent to any attempt to revert to the totalitarian past: no one should undermine the choice of people for freedom;
We salute the strength and courage of the Ukrainian people and are in full solidarity with them. We call on all local and regional governments in the European Union to support Ukraine in these times of need.
President Putin has to stop his war!
Free Ukraine in Europe!
The Declaration in English is available here. Other languages are available below.
From our Members
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Apostolos Tzitzikostas, First Vice-President of the European Committee of the Regions, Governor of Central Macedonia Region, Greece: "I spoke to the Mayor of Kiev, Vitali Klitschko, during these tragic times. I expressed the EU's Regions and Cities solidarity to our Ukranian partners and to the people of Ukraine. The CoR & EU's regional local leaders are ready to support the Ukrainian people."
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Emil Boc (RO/EPP), Mayor of Cluj-Napoca Municipality:
"Solidarity with Ukraine. Russian aggression must be stopped now. The international democratic community must stay and act united against Russian aggression" (via
Twitter – with picture).
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Roberto Ciambetti (IT/ECR), President and Member of the Veneto Regional Council: "In Italia chi scappa dalla #guerra avrà sempre le porte aperte. È importante che si agisca sul fronte economico e si facciano tacere le #armi." (via
Twitter – with picture).
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Mario Fava (PES/MT), President of the Local Councils' Association:
"What is happening in Ukraine is not only inhuman but unheard of in the world we are living in […]. We are sending this message of solidarity and resolve to our colleagues. Be rest assured that you are not alone in this dark hour" (full letter).
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Peter Kaiser(AT/PES), Member of the State Government of Carinthia, raised the Ukrainian flag as sign of solidarity (watch).
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Olgierd Geblewicz (PL/EPP), President of West Pomerania Region:
"Szczecin" (via
Twitter – with picture).
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Władysław Ortyl (PL/ECR), President of the Podkarpackie Region: "Putin's Russia is killing civilians – women and children are forced to flee while men stay to fight for European democracy. The number of refugees who have now crossed the border into Poland has stood at approximate 100.000 per day. We must help these people". (video
available below)
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Pascal Smet (BE/PES), Secretary of State of the Brussels-Capital Region, Responsible for Urbanism & European and International Relations: "
Now is the time to show solidarity. We stand with Ukraine" (via
Twitter – with picture).
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Rafał Trzaskowski (PL/EPP), President of the capital city of Warsaw:
"Dziś i przez kolejne dni @PalacKultury będzie podświetlony w barwach flagi Ukrainy
🇺🇦 W ten symboliczny sposób @warszawa będzie codziennie przypominać o solidarności z naszymi sąsiadami, którzy padli ofiarą rosyjskiej agresji." ( via
Twitter – with picture).
Find more messages of solidarity on the CoR's
Twitter,
Instagram and
Facebook spaces dedicated to Ukraine.
At the upcoming CoR Working Group on Ukraine meeting on 30 March 2022, CoR Members will follow up on concrete help channelled to our Ukrainian partners.
Vitali Klitschko - honorary member
Against the background of the Russian war in Ukraine, the European Committee of the Regions reaffirms its unequivocal support for the cities and regions of Ukraine in defending their territorial integrity, respect for international law, freedom and the democratic values they share with EU citizens.
Considering the remarkable engagement on democratic values and struggle for citizens' lives in a crisis like this, it is with great eagerness that the European Committee of the Regions decided to assign the title of honorary member to Vitali KLITSCHKO, Mayor of Kyiv (Ukraine) and Head of the Association of Ukrainian Cities. The Mayor of Kiev illustrates the local politicians' essential role in the building blocks and foundations of democracy and providing immediate solutions to citizens.
The European Committee of the Regions is firmly committed to the city of Kyiv's freedom and prosperity, as well as those of all Ukrainian cities!
Office space for Ukrainian LRAs in the CoR premises
The European Committee of the Regions would like to provide concrete assistance to Ukrainian partners. One of such tailor-made measures designed for Ukrainian LRAs and its associations are the office spaces, exhibition area, conference rooms offered for free by the CoR in its premises in Brussels. In case of interest and need of detailed information please submit your request to SupportUkraine@cor.europa.eu.
About the Info-Support Hub for Regions and Cities
The
Info-Support Hub
for Regions and Cities is an initiative led by the
CoR Working Group on Ukraine
to facilitate concrete help by EU's regions and cities via the CoR and
other territorial stakeholders, responding to the needs in Ukraine and in
the EU's regions and cities hosting refugees. Contact details are on the
bottom of this page.