At the beginning of each month, the Decentralisation.gov.ua portal summarises the results of the previous month. We discuss important Government and Parliamentary resolutions that have been adopted or come into force, and highlight events and discussions that deserve the attention or participation of local governments.

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In May 2025, Parliament simplified the procedures for cooperation between communities, and took another step towards ensuring the rule of law in the activities of local governments. The Government allocated subventions to a number of communities in the education and security sectors. The month will also be remembered for discussions and conspiracy theories about plans to create statistical macro-regions in Ukraine.

Find details about the above and more in the month’s summary.

 

On simplifying the procedures for cooperation between communities

On 13 May the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted as a whole draft law №11412 on amendments to certain laws of Ukraine on the development of cooperation between territorial communities, which is intended to simplify the procedures for inter-municipal cooperation in Ukraine.

Main provisions of the Law:

• If the parties involved reach an agreement, the financing of activities may begin earlier than the next budget period.
• The state will monitor cooperation on a quarterly basis. Annual reporting to the central government will not be required.
• Meetings of the commissions responsible for preparing draft cooperation agreements are subject to video recording, with the videos stored for five years.
• Extending the cooperation agreement will not require additional public consultations.
• The initiative procedure will not be stopped if one party refuses to cooperate.
• Although the draft law primarily concerns the basic level of self-government, it also makes provisions for horizontal cooperation at regional and district levels.

Since 16 May, the Law has been awaiting the President’s signature.

 

On ensuring legality in the activities of local governments adopted as a basis

On 13 May the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted as a basis draft law №13150 on ensuring legality in the activities of local governments and local government officials.

In particular, the draft law stipulates that the Cabinet of Ministers or an authorised executive body will supervise the legality of acts of regional councils. Acts of village, settlement, city and district councils will be supervised by regional state administrations (RSAs). Until a separate law is adopted, the Cabinet of Ministers will also exercise control of acts in Kyiv and Sevastopol.

Regarding procedures, the draft law proposed that supervisory authorities respond within 60 days of the local government act coming into force. If any violations are identified, the Regional State Administration or the Cabinet of Ministers will demand their elimination within 20 working days. Failure to comply will result in the supervisory authority referring the matter to court.

As previously reported, the adoption of the law on ensuring the legality of local government activities is a commitment to European partners, as stated in the Ukraine Facility 2024–2027 plan.

 

On the Government’s resolution

On 2 May the Government allocated UAH 540 million in subventions for renovating workshops and improving energy efficiency, and inclusivity in educational institutions. These funds are being distributed among 109 educational institutions that train engineers, turners, builders, technologists, machine tool operators, and other specialists.

On 9 May the Government approved the initial allocation of subventions for the modernisation of kitchens and canteens in 2025. This year’s subvention is UAH 960 million. The Government has already allocated UAH 194.1 million of this sum. These funds will be distributed among 15 projects selected through a competitive process.

On 9 May, the Government adopted a resolution to allocate a subvention of UAH 46.35 million to create a safe educational environment in educational institutions. The money will be used to purchase generators for over 130 schools in seven regions, helping to ensure uninterrupted education.

On 9 May the Government adopted a resolution amending the Procedure for the Financial Support of Military Administrations of Localities, Districts and Regions. This document introduces a standardised method for calculating the salaries of military personnel, police officers, and State Emergency Service employees seconded to military administrations at all levels. The resolution aims to eliminate imbalances in remuneration between individuals performing the same managerial functions within military administrations, who currently receive different payments due to variations in funding sources or appointment mechanisms.

On 9 May the Government adopted a resolution granting adoption powers to village and settlement councils instead of district state administrations. This is an important step in improving government policy to ensure that every child in Ukraine has the right to grow up in a safe family environment. Questionnaires of children who can be adopted and personal files of adoption candidates will be transferred from district children’s services to the relevant services of village and settlement councils.

On 12 May, the Government approved the allocation of almost UAH 1.1 billion for 36 projects to build shelters in schools and one military lyceum. The Government had previously approved the allocation of funds for 60 projects in communities with a high or very high level, 21 projects to build shelters in schools and military lyceums, and 27 projects to complete the construction of shelters that began in 2024.

On 13 May, the Government adopted a resolution to remove four industrial parks from the Register of Industrial Parks of Ukraine. This is due to the absence of participants, namely industrial producers, for a period of three years from the date of their inclusion in the register. These parks have not carried out any economic activities aimed at developing the territory or attracting participants and other entities.

 

On creation of statistical macro-regions

In May, amid reports of plans to create nine statistical macro-regions in Ukraine according to the European NUTS-1 classification, a debate erupted. Some even suggested that, rather than having 24 regions, the intention was to create nine, and that this was preparation for the federalisation of the country.

However, this is neither about eliminating regions nor changing boundaries or administrative consolidation. No decisions will be made that would affect the map of Ukraine.

Statistical macro-regions are exclusively relevant to the statistical system that Ukraine requires to interact effectively with European institutions.

Statistical macro-regions (NUTS-1) are one of the levels of the European classification of territories for statistics (NUTS - Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics), covering large territorial units with a population of 3 to 7 million people.

The implementation of this system in Ukraine enables a harmonised approach to the collection, processing and analysis of statistical data, in line with European standards. This provides a better analytical basis for formulating regional development policies and Ukraine's participation in EU support programmes.

 

On the ratings of regions and communities

On 13 May, the Ministry of Digital Transformation published the results of the digitalisation of Ukraine's regions and communities for the first quarter of 2025. According to the results, the average Digital Transformation Index score for Ukrainian regions is 30 out of 100. The leaders are: Dnipropetrovsk (43 points), Lviv (43 points), and Ternopil (42 points) regions. These regions achieved the best results in terms of the digitalisation of public services, digital infrastructure, and digital skills. However, the digitalisation of territorial communities and the digital economy remain weak areas at the regional level. Overall, however, the findings provide a clear picture of where efforts and systemic solutions should be focused.

On 19 May, Transparency International Ukraine presented the results of the Transparency Ranking of Cities during the full-scale war as part of its Transparent Cities programme. The analysts rated 100 cities in 21 Ukrainian regions based on 70 criteria. Chernivtsi is the leader of the ranking. The city received 84.5 out of 100 points due to significant progress — an increase of 27.1 percentage points over the year. Vinnytsia came second with 81 points, and Lutsk came third with 76 points.

 

Among the public discussions held in May with representatives of the national government, local authorities and international partners, the following are worth highlighting:

4–6 May – the Friends of Ukraine International Partnership Forum took place. This large-scale event brought together representatives of the Ukrainian government, local self-government, businesses, volunteer initiatives, and international partners from over 10 countries. The forum provided a platform for dialogue, partnership, and the coordination of efforts to support the recovery and sustainable development of Ukrainian communities.

On 7 May On 7 May, the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine hosted the first meeting of the expert group on methodological support for the strategic planning of Ukraine's regional policy for the period 2028–2034. The group, created under the Ministry for Development, will elaborate a new methodology for regional development that takes into account the specific features of different types of territories and the four macro-regions: western, central, frontline and temporarily occupied.

On 13 May Uzhhorod hosted a public discussion of the high school reform as a part of a series of regional events, initiated by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and supported by the Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE Project.

On 16 May Kyiv hosted the event ‘From Idea to Change: Launch of the Renaissance Clusters Grant Programme’, dedicated to the launch of initiatives in the field of culture and creative industries that received grant support from the UCORD project under the Renaissance Clusters Grant programme.

On 20 May, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine jointly with the Polaris Programme presented an updated version of the Education Indicators Dashboard, which enables a comprehensive analysis of the current state of, and trends in general secondary education in Ukraine.

On 21 May, All-Ukrainian conference ‘(De)occupied and Frontline Communities on the Path to Recovery: Institutional Solutions’

On 21-22 May, Warsaw, Poland, hosted the Europe Civil Security international security forum organised by Ukrainian local government associations. The participants discussed the impact of security and civil protection on community, regional and macro-regional development as well as the importance of cooperation between the central government and communities when it comes to building a civil protection system.

On 26 May - presentation of the study ‘Oversight Functions of Starostas’.

On 28-30 May, Lviv hosted the ‘Forum of Slovenian-Ukrainian Cooperation: Strengthening Partnerships for Recovery and Reconstruction’.

We will continue to monitor the implementation of the above decisions, as well as whether the authorities translate the results of the discussions into real actions and whether these actions meet the expectations of the communities.

To stay informed, please follow the news on the Decentralisation.gov.ua portal, our online calendar, as well as our Facebook and Telegram pages.

We wish you a successful month! The results of June will be summarised in early July.

All the top news posts of the previous months are available in our reviews by the link.

 

Top news from May:

1. The Opishnia community: How war and challenges give rise to a new format for development
2. Opportunities for communities and businesses in May: From training to international cooperation
3. Public investment: Step by step guide to the new system for all levels of government
4. 90% of communities need financial and professional support to implement energy efficiency projects
5. Oversight functions of starostas: Study results
6. Using culture as a tool to unite the community around its diversity: Case study of the Suvorovska community
7. Ministry of Education and Science and Polaris Programme present updated Dashboard of Education Indicators
8. Modern school shelter created in lyceum of Sukhopolova community (+video)
9. How the Zero Waste City status can improve community life. The benefits of the European award
10. Ukraine will have nine statistical macro-regions