Oleksii Kuleba, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine – Minister of Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine, held a bilateral meeting with Kata Tüttő, President of the European Committee of the Regions, during her visit to the capital of Ukraine.

 

 

The key topics of the meeting were strengthening the resilience of Ukrainian communities, European integration processes at the local level, and expanding international interregional cooperation.

During the meeting, the parties paid special attention to practical steps towards establishing a Joint Consultative Committee between Ukraine and the European Committee of the Regions.

 

 

‘Ukraine’s resilience begins at the local level. Our communities have proven that they are capable of acting effectively in extreme conditions, of protecting people and restoring the functioning of communities despite everything. They are key partners in the restoration of the country. The support of the European Committee of the Regions helps us to scale up this experience and build strong bridges between Ukrainian communities and the European community,’ notes Oleksii Kuleba.

This new institution is expected to become an effective platform for the systematic exchange of experience and best European practices in local governance at the level of communities. It will also function as an effective tool for preparing Ukrainian communities for Ukraine’s future accession to the European Union and will act as a driver for the development of practical partnerships between Ukrainian and European regions and communities.

 

 

Oleksii Kuleba and Kata Tüttő also discussed the development of inter-municipal cooperation. Oleksii Kuleba emphasised the effectiveness of the flagship project Shoulder to Shoulder: Cohesive Communities. The project has already yielded significant results: more than 1,170 communities are involved, having successfully established over 1,135 partnerships, with the total value of mutual assistance provided exceeding UAH 300 million.

The Ministry sees significant potential for involving European municipalities in this initiative based on the model: “Ukrainian rear community – frontline community – European municipality”.

 

 

The first such trilateral partnerships were successfully established during the Cohesion Forum and the International Summit of Cities and Regions. One of the current priorities of the Ministry is to systematically scale up this format in order to strengthen the recovery of affected territories.

Oleksii Kuleba expressed his sincere gratitude to Kata Tüttő and the European Committee of the Regions for their solidarity, unwavering support for Ukrainian communities, and joint efforts towards European integration for Ukraine.