On 10 October 2025, a presentation of the draft report on public consultations was held in Kyiv to discuss the draft ‘Specifics of Implementing the Concept of Reforming Local Self-Government and Territorial Organisation of Power in Ukraine in the Context of Military Challenges and Preparing for Ukraine’s Accession to the European Union’.

The presentation brought together over 100 representatives from local governments at all levels, as well as from their all-Ukrainian associations, public authorities, international technical assistance projects, civil society, and academia.

The public consultations held in Lviv, Poltava and Odesa in September–October 2025 emphasised the irreversibility of the decentralisation reform.

 

Oleksii RYABIKIN, Deputy Minister for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine, emphasised, ‘During regional consultations in Poltava, Odesa and Lviv, more than 600 community representatives discussed the specifics of local self-government reform. The outcome of these discussions has formed the basis of a document that will serve as a powerful new roadmap for the further development of decentralisation on Ukraine’s path to the EU.’

 

 

Tamila TASHEVA, Member of the Ukrainian Parliament, noted, ‘We all understand how important the decentralisation reform is, and how successful it has been. In fact, when the full-scale war broke out, it was the communities that became the backbone of the state – their resilience and ability to act locally proved that the reform really works. We must now develop mechanisms to ensure the restoration and development of local self-government in all de-occupied territories. The support of the Council of Europe is extremely important to us – this partnership not only provides assistance, but also gives us the confidence to know that we are moving in the right direction.’

The discussions confirmed strong support for the reform, as well as a desire for consensus between state authorities, local governments, their associations, and civil society. The current situation must be addressed, and relevant tasks and new measures necessitated by the state of war and the process of European accession must be identified.

Public consultations enabled proposals to be collected for improving the legislative framework for forming communities and districts, strengthening the participation of local governments in harmonising European legislation, ensuring their financial capacity, expanding cooperation opportunities, improving budgetary equalisation, and compensating for local government expenses.

 

 

Claudia LUCIANI, Director of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, noted, ‘Decentralisation has helped citizens to better understand democracy and has become a key factor in Ukraine’s stability. It is crucial that the reform continues, and that its Concept takes into account the impact of the war and Ukraine’s path to EU membership, in line with the principles of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, our guiding document. The Council of Europe will continue to support Ukraine in putting these principles into practice and bringing real results for the people.’

The All-Ukrainian Associations of Local Governments, representing the interests of communities, districts, and regions across Ukraine, have confirmed the importance of the issues raised in the draft ‘Specifics of Implementing the Concept’. Dmytro NIKULSHYN, First Deputy Head of the Secretariat of the Ukrainian Association of District and Regional Councils, noted that future efforts should focus on specific actions and the coordination of proposals at all levels of government to ensure the effective implementation of the reform. Volodymyr KUCHMA, Head of the All-Ukrainian Association of Communities, emphasised the importance of community autonomy in managing their own resources, as well as the right to belong to several associations with all-Ukrainian status. Oleksandr KORINNYI, Head of the Association of Amalgamated Territorial Communities, called for unity among associations when forming a common position. He noted that consolidating efforts contributes to strengthening multi-level governance in accordance with European standards and the principles of the Charter. Yaroslav RABOSHUK, Deputy Executive Director of the Association of Ukrainian Cities and Director of the AUC Analytical Centre, emphasised the need for a clear implementation plan for the document, as well as ensuring fair budgetary equalisation and restoring the financial capacity of communities. He stressed that the reform should be based on trust in local self-government, which has proven its effectiveness in wartime, and on developing inter-municipal cooperation.

The next step will be to develop an Action Plan that will set out the specific steps, deadlines, and responsible parties required to implement the Concept and Specifics, particularly with regard to improving legislation, personnel policy, financial decentralisation, developing e-democracy tools, and preparing authorities at all levels to work within the framework of EU law and participate in European development funds.

Watch the full video recording of the event here.

The event was organised by the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine with the support of the Council of Europe within the project ‘Strengthening Multilevel Governance And Local Democracy To Support Ukraine’s Recovery’, implemented by the Centre of Expertise for Multilevel Governance at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe as part of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine ‘Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction’ for 2023–2026.