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 July 2025, Ukraine reviewed the results of the first five years of its new administrative and territorial structure. For the first time, a draft of the updated Concept for the Reform of Local Self-Government and Territorial Organisation of Power was presented at the national level in an attempt to address the challenges of the present day. A large-scale discussion of Ukraine’s reconstruction took place on the international stage during the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC2025) in Rome, focusing on the role of communities in sustainable recovery. At the same time, the composition of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine changed. Consequently, some government initiatives that are important for local self-government were withdrawn.

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

On URC2025

On 10–11 July, Rome hosted the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC2025), a large-scale international event that played a key role in shaping policy for the recovery, transformation, and long-term development of Ukraine.

‘URC2025 has become a platform for showcasing the tangible results of our recovery efforts, effective investment management, the launch of new public-private partnership tools, and the strengthening of trust in Ukraine as a reliable partner. We have received a clear message from Ukraine’s friends and partners that they are ready to invest in our recovery. This is evidenced by the initiative to establish the recovery coalition and the European Flagship Fund for the Reconstruction of Ukraine, as well as by the signing of numerous agreements, memoranda and joint statements totalling over EUR 3.5 billion,’ said Oleksii Kuleba, Deputy Prime Minister for the Reconstruction of Ukraine – Minister for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine.

Notably, during the Conference, it was announced that Switzerland would invest CHF 18.5 million to further support key reforms in Ukraine, namely in the areas of education and decentralisation, as part of the second phase of the Swiss-Ukrainian Project DECIDE ‘Decentralisation for Improved Democratic Education’, due to run from September 2025 to August 2030.

On simplifying procedures for community cooperation

On 3 July, Law No. 4425 on Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine on the Development of Cooperation of Territorial Communities came into force. The law is intended to simplify procedures for inter-municipal cooperation in Ukraine.

The Law provides for the following key changes:

• If the parties involved in the cooperation approve it, funding for activities may begin earlier than the next budget period.
• The state shall monitor the cooperation on a quarterly basis. There shall be no annual reporting to the central government.
• Meetings of commissions for the preparation of draft cooperation agreements shall be subject to video recording and storage for five years.
• Extension of the cooperation agreement will not require additional public consultations.
• The initiative procedure is not suspended if one party refuses to participate in the cooperation.
• Horizontal cooperation between the regional and district levels is now possible.

Read an expert analysis of the changes at the link.

On the change of Government and withdrawn draft laws

On 17 July, a new Cabinet of Ministers was formed in Ukraine, with Yuliia Svyrydenko as head. Oleksii Kuleba – who previously served as Deputy Prime Minister for the Restoration of Ukraine – Minister for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine in Denys Shmyhal’s Government – retained his position.

According to the law, all legislative initiatives of the Cabinet of Ministers that fail to pass the first reading in the Verkhovna Rada are automatically withdrawn from Parliament. The following draft laws, which are important for local self-government, were among those withdrawn:

• Draft Law No. 13065 allowing communities to be renamed following the decolonisation of the names of localities. On 10 July 2025, the profile parliamentary committee recommended the adoption of this draft law in the first reading, but the vote was never held.
• Draft Law No. 12447 on certain issues of administrative and territorial structure. On 20 February 2025, the profile parliamentary committee recommended adopting the draft law as a basis, but it was never considered in the Parliament.

All the procedures for these initiatives will have to be started anew.

On postponing the development of comprehensive community plans

On 22 July, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted as a basis Draft Law No. 13437 ‘On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine on Spatial Planning of Territories (Lands)’.

The Draft Law aims to postpone the mandatory development and approval of comprehensive spatial development plans of communities until 1 January 2028. For communities located in regions where military operations are underway, the deadline will be three years after martial law ends.

The Draft Law also states that having a spatial development plan in place is advantageous when it comes to financing community restoration and infrastructure development using budgetary funds or international financial aid.

On ensuring legality of local government activities

On 10 July, the Parliamentary Committee on the Organisation of State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning recommended that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopt in the second reading and as a whole Draft Law No. 13150 on amendments to the Law of Ukraine ‘On Local State Administrations’ and some other legislative acts of Ukraine on ensuring legality in the activities of local governments and local government officials.

The Ministry for the Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine supported Draft Law No. 13150, having worked on the text in collaboration with the MPs who authored the Draft Law. All all-Ukrainian associations of local governments also supported the Draft Law, albeit with comments.

More than 3,000 amendments to the Draft Law were proposed by the MPs for the second reading.

On the Unified State Register of Acts of Local Self-Government

In July, the Council of Europe published an Opinion prepared by the Centre of Expertise for Multilevel Governance, which confirms that introducing the Unified State Register of Acts of Local Self-Government in Ukraine is in line with the provisions of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, subject to certain principles, and is a step towards modern European administrative supervision practices.

On administering social benefits

From 1 July 2025, responsibility for administering all social benefits paid from the state budget lies with the Pension Fund of Ukraine.

In addition to administrative service centres (ASCs) and local government officials, applications will also be accepted at more than 500 Pension Fund service centres.

Local governments can continue to accept applications from citizens through ASCs and starostas, provide consultations on types of social assistance, and help citizens use the Pension Fund’s online services.

On the key indicators of the decentralisation process

In July, the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine published a monitoring of the decentralisation process as of 1 July 2025, which summarises the key indicators of the reform.

According to the monitoring data, Ukrainian communities are continuing to expand their network of international cooperation, having concluded a total of 2,108 international agreements. This cooperation involves 487 communities establishing partnerships with counterparts in 64 countries. This creates new opportunities for infrastructure, economic, and social development in the context of the country’s reconstruction.

On the National Dialogue and update of the Concept of the Reform of Local Self-Government and Territorial Organisation of Power

On 21 July, the National Dialogue ‘Five Years of the New Territorial Structure of Ukraine: Challenges, Strategic Priorities and Transformation’ was held in the Ternopil region. The event aimed to discuss the progress of decentralisation and the key achievements and challenges that have arisen in the five years since the introduction of the new administrative and territorial structure. The key points from the discussion and the video are available at the link.

During the event, Oleksii Riabykin, Deputy Minister for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine, presented the draft update to the Concept of the Reform of Local Self-Government and Territorial Organisation of Power for the first time at the national level. The main approaches embedded in the draft amendments are available at the link.

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

On 1 July, in Lviv, as part of the International Mayors Summit – a workshop and presentation of the handbook ‘How Communities Can Successfully Attract External Resources’.

On 2 July, in the village of Velykyi Khodachkiv, Ternopil region – the First Forum of Starostas of the Ternopil Region.

On 3-4 July, in Lviv – the fourth session of the High-Level Dialogue on Good Democratic Governance to discuss further steps for improving the legislative framework for multi-level governance and elections in Ukraine.

On 18 July, in Mykolaiv, on 22 July, in Vinnytsia, on 28 July in Lutsk – meetings with representatives of communities and regional administrations on the implementation of public investment management reform.

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 August will be summarised in early September.

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

Top news from July:

1. Streaming of the workshop ‘How communities can successfully attract grant resources’
2. Postponing the development of comprehensive community plans: Draft law adopted as a basis
3. July catalogues of opportunities: Update on community development initiatives
4. Village leader for a hundred thousand dollars
5. Budget Declaration 2026–2028: Two scenarios of development and new challenges for local budgets
6. Ukrainian path to post-war good democratic governance discussed at the High Level Dialogue in Lviv
7. Support for the accessibility of administrative services: Polaris programme announces 35 partner communities
8. Video recording of the National Dialogue on the 5th anniversary of the new territorial structure of Ukraine: Challenges, strategic priorities and transformation
9. Analysis of the provisions of the Budget Declaration of Ukraine for 2026–2028
10. Eleven years bordering on war