The Association of the Lviv Agglomeration is gaining in strength. Just over a year after its establishment, two new communities, Obroshyne and Pidberiztsi, joined it. Their application for membership was approved at the Associationєs regular general meeting on 29 August 2025. The Lviv Agglomeration now unites 12 communities.

In just over a year, the Association has implemented several joint projects and attracted the support of international partners. It all started with cultural and educational initiatives, such as schoolchildren from one community visiting other communities and getting familiarised with their cultural attractions and industries. Entrepreneurs had the opportunity to participate in a craft fair held in Lviv’s central Rynok Square. A joint local history atlas was also developed. All activities were implemented within the framework of the Council of Europe’s grant project, ‘Strengthening Good Democratic Governance in the Lviv Agglomeration’.

Today, communities are reaching a new level of cooperation as they work together to solve systemic problems such as establishing a common transport system, protecting and conserving water resources, managing solid waste, developing the agglomeration’s logistics potential, and creating a common veteran policy. Meetings in the form of specialised committees have begun, providing community representatives with the opportunity to learn from the Lviv community’s experience and share their own best practices. Links are also being established with agglomerations in countries such as the Czech Republic, Poland, Sweden, and Argentina.

These results provided a strong incentive for new communities to join the Association. Vasyl Koval, Head of the Pidberiztsi Community and Head of the regional branch of the Association of Amalgamated Territorial Communities, noted:

‘Our community consists of 11 localities and has a population of around 10,000 people. We are an active community and top the ranking of communities in the Lviv region. I believe that large cities and their surrounding communities should cooperate, considering our shared transport routes, environmental concerns, and recreational areas. Experience from other countries shows that such associations can be successful. We are also interested in submitting joint grant applications, as this would give us access to European funds. This is extremely important for Ukrainian communities, especially during wartime.’

The accession of new members will strengthen the Association, as each community can contribute to achieving the common development goals set out in the strategy. These goals include increasing cohesion and sustainability, improving the quality of life of residents, and enhancing the competitiveness of the Lviv agglomeration. The Lviv agglomeration has set itself the ambitious goal of developing a model for the growth of such ‘growth poles’, which will be important for Ukraine’s post-war recovery.

‘Including two more communities will be another step towards creating a shared model for developing the agglomeration, which could become a key part of Ukraine’s post-war recovery,’ said Roman Kizyma, Executive Director of the Association.

It should be noted that the Association of Local Governments ‘Lviv Agglomeration’ was established in late April 2024, following nearly a year of collaborative efforts between Lviv and neighbouring communities to develop a common development strategy. This strategy was elaborated with the support of the Council of Europe’s Centre of Expertise for Multilevel Governance, in accordance with the methodology of Strategic Municipal Planning. Through working in sectoral groups, community representatives gained a better understanding of shared issues and how to address them more effectively through collaboration.

The Association was founded by ten communities: Lviv, Bibrka, Velykyi Liubin, Davydiv, Horodok, Zhovkva, Zhovtantsi, Kulykiv, Novyi Yarychiv and Pustomyty. Their example has shown other communities that cooperation within an agglomeration can be beneficial.

The Council of Europe actively supports the development of agglomerations in Ukraine, thereby strengthening multi-level governance and local democracy. As part of the project ‘Strengthening multilevel governance and local democracy to support Ukraine’s recovery’, the Council of Europe’s Centre of Expertise for Multilevel Governance provides advisory and technical support to communities and associations of local authorities, in particular in the implementation of innovative governance methods.

In particular, a strategic session organised by this Council of Europe project took place in May 2025. The session discussed the priorities for developing the Lviv agglomeration until 2027, the status of the implementation of its strategy, and identified key projects, particularly in the areas of solid waste management, transport systems and mobility, and the development of education, culture, and tourism.

In addition, the Council of Europe promotes inter-municipal cooperation to facilitate more effective interaction between communities. It has also recently presented an analytical note entitled ‘The Use of Industrial Parks as a Tool for Cooperation between Local Communities, Using the Example of the Lviv Agglomeration’. The note highlights the opportunities offered by community cooperation for creating industrial parks – modern centres of economic growth that attract investment, create jobs, and modernise infrastructure.

By implementing these initiatives, the Council of Europe promotes the sustainable development of agglomerations in Ukraine, ensuring effective multi-level governance and enhancing the quality of life for residents.

The information is shared by the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” for 2023-2026 and the project “Strengthening multilevel governance and local democracy to support Ukraine’s recovery”, implemented by the Council of Europe Centre of Expertise for Multilevel Governance at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.