In April 2024, Ukraine adopted a law that expanded the scope for communities to engage in international cooperation. Since then, communities have been provided with a broader range of legal tools to seek out foreign partners, participate in joint projects and attract international resources. But to what extent have these opportunities been used in practice? Has the Law helped to boost international cooperation, and what is preventing communities from turning partnership agreements into tangible results?

Answers to these questions were discussed during the round-table discussion “The practical application of the Law of Ukraine ‘On International Territorial Cooperation of Ukraine’ in local governments”, which is taking place in Chernivtsi on 13–14 November. The event was organised by the Verkhovna Rada Committee on the Organisation of State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning, with the support of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD).

One of the main topics on the first day was the results of the assessment of the effectiveness of Law No. 3668-IX, conducted as part of the Parliamentary Committee's oversight function with the assistance of the WFD. The assessment involved a survey of 1,003 representatives of local governments, utility companies and enterprises, civil society organisations, the expert community, and other stakeholders from all regions of Ukraine, completed at the end of 2025.

The findings revealed a significant gap between legislative opportunities and the readiness to make use of them. Almost 69% of respondents reported that they had not implemented a single international territorial cooperation project over the past three years. More than half do not have a separate department or post dedicated to such work, with 60% having not undergone relevant training. However, those who already have experience of international cooperation rate the effectiveness of the Law more highly than respondents without such experience.

These findings kicked off a wider discussion among MPs, representatives of the Ministry, local governments, and international experts. The discussion centred on staff shortages, the funding of international projects, the complexity of certain procedures, and possible legislative changes. Special attention was paid to ensuring that not only border communities but also territories remote from the borders of the European Union could participate in international cooperation.

 

What the study revealed: The law works, but not everyone can benefit from it

The study results were presented by Vasyl Markiv, an expert from the Westminster Foundation for Democracy. He explained that the assessment was based on the post-legislative scrutiny (PLS) methodology, which involves analysing the application of legislation after its adoption. This approach helps to determine whether the Law is enforced, to what extent it achieves its objectives, what impact it has on those involved in the relevant relationships, and what hinders its implementation.

The survey was conducted from 27 November to 26 December 2025. The questionnaire comprised 68 questions, grouped into thematic sections on human resource capacity, awareness of the legislation, practices of international territorial cooperation, the effectiveness of the Law, the impact of martial law, and proposals for improving the legal framework.

As the survey was open-ended and based on responses from the participants themselves, its results should not be regarded as representative statistics for all communities. However, they offer insight into the challenges that participants in international territorial cooperation face.

The study revealed, primarily, a lack of human resources and organisational readiness. According to the respondents’ answers, 53.5% of institutions do not have a separate department or post dedicated to international territorial cooperation. Only 15.7% have a fully-fledged unit dedicated to this area. A further 46.5% reported a lack of strategic documents in this area, while 60.3% stated that they had not conducted any training on international territorial cooperation over the past three years.

The average self-assessment of staffing capacity was 5.2 out of ten. According to the respondents, full participation in international projects requires at least two or three specialists with foreign language skills and project management expertise.

The need for further training is also confirmed by the responses to a specific question in the survey: nearly 70% of respondents rated the need for training in international territorial cooperation at eight to ten points on a ten-point scale. This means that the issue is not only a shortage of specialists, but also the need to improve the skills of those who already work with international partners.

The findings on awareness of the legislation were no less revealing. Only 18.8% of respondents described themselves as well acquainted with Law No. 3668-IX. A further 34.8% are partially familiar with it, 36% have only a general understanding, and 10.4% are completely unfamiliar with it.

Meanwhile, 51% of those surveyed rated the availability of information on opportunities for international territorial cooperation as five points or lower on a ten-point scale. A lack of accessible practical information was named as the main information barrier by 34.2% of respondents.

The study also revealed a lack of understanding of the mechanisms of international territorial cooperation themselves. Some respondents classified international donor programmes and technical assistance projects as falling within this category. As Vasyl Markiv explained, such programmes can be important partners and instruments of support, but they cannot automatically be equated with international territorial cooperation as defined by the Law.

Practical experience of participating in international projects also remains limited. According to the survey results, 27.6% of respondents had taken part in international territorial cooperation programmes or projects, 24.7% are currently implementing such projects, and 13.3% reported the emergence of new partners after the Law was adopted.

Over the past three years, 68.9% of respondents had not been involved in any international territorial cooperation projects. 19.1% had implemented one or two projects, 7.7% had implemented between three and five, and 4.3% had implemented more than five.

 

Experience alters the assessment of the Law, but reveals procedural issues

One of the most interesting findings was the comparison of responses between those who already have experience of international territorial cooperation and those who have not yet been involved in it.

The average rating of the effectiveness of the Act was 6.05 out of ten. However, this figure rose to 6.8 among respondents with practical experience, whereas among those without such experience it stood at 5.8.

Similarly, 46.5% of experienced participants believe that the objectives of the Act have been achieved. Among respondents without relevant experience, only 22.9% gave this assessment. Over 60% of those who had worked on international projects confirmed that the Law creates a legal basis for participation in cooperation, compared to 31.5% of the others.

However, practical experience is more often accompanied by encounters with bureaucratic difficulties. Administrative obstacles were reported by 23.6% of respondents with experience of international territorial cooperation, and only 6.2% of those without such experience.

Thus, the study revealed two interrelated issues. On the one hand, a significant proportion of potential participants are not yet making use of the opportunities provided for by the Law. On the other hand, those who are already implementing international projects are more likely to face procedural difficulties that require the attention of legislators and executive authorities.

Respondents named the lack of qualified personnel (55.7%) as one of the main obstacles to participation in international territorial cooperation, a lack of funds for co-financing (48.2%) and insufficient information and communication (39.6%), excessive bureaucracy (18.4%), insufficient support from central government bodies (10.8%), and difficulties with foreign exchange transactions (8.1%).

The problem of co-financing is also confirmed by the responses to a specific question. Only 7.6% of respondents consider the level of co-financing to be entirely sufficient, 46.4% consider it partially sufficient, and 46.1% consider it insufficient.

Unsurprisingly, 53.6% of respondents named financial support as the most effective form of state assistance for international territorial cooperation. Almost a quarter of those surveyed preferred training support, while another 13% favoured advisory support.

Specific proposals put forward by survey participants included the creation of a single information resource on opportunities for international territorial cooperation, a state co-financing mechanism, a digital platform for registering and monitoring projects, and tools for finding international partners.

Meanwhile, Vasyl Markiv pointed out that only 161 out of 1,003 respondents provided substantive answers to the open-ended questions on improving cooperation mechanisms. Therefore, these proposals should be regarded as material for further consideration, rather than as a consensus position of all survey participants.

 

Border regions are more active: Findings from a regional comparison

A separate analysis of the results revealed a significant difference between the regions that border EU member states and other regions of Ukraine.

For comparison, the researchers selected the Volyn, Lviv, Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, and Odesa regions. In these regions, 42.7% of respondents reported experience of participating in international territorial cooperation, compared with 24% in other regions.

At least one project had been implemented in the last three years by 43.1% of respondents from border regions, compared with 28.2% in other regions. Experts in international territorial cooperation are also more common in border regions – 52.8% compared with 44.9% – and training had been provided by 45.6% compared with 38.2%.

The results obtained show the advantages of geographical proximity to international partners. At the same time, they highlight the issue of access to international programmes for communities located far from the EU borders.

During the presentation, special attention was paid to Chernivtsi region. According to data from the register provided by Vasyl Markiv, as of 2 October 2026, Chernivtsi region accounted for 26 agreements on international territorial cooperation registered under the new procedure, of which 22 were concluded with Romanian partners. This represents almost a quarter of the relevant agreements analysed by the expert.

However, only 15 respondents from Chernivtsi region took part in the survey, seven of whom have experience of international territorial cooperation. Their average rating of the effectiveness of the Law was 6.5 points. The expert cautioned that, due to the small number of responses, these figures are only indicative.

 

Oleksandr Korniienko: International partnerships should be transformed into real projects

Oleksandr Kornienko, First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, emphasised that international territorial cooperation is one of the practical tools for European integration in Ukraine. However, participation in European programmes requires not only a willingness on the part of communities to attract resources, but also the ability to use them effectively.

He said that Ukrainian communities have to learn to work with the funding instruments already available before applying for significantly greater resources as part of future participation in the EU cohesion policy.

‘In order to take part in future projects and apply for further resources, we first need to learn how to work with what we already have,’ emphasised Oleksandr Korniienko.

He highlighted the large number of partnership agreements concluded by Ukrainian communities with foreign municipalities in recent years. In his view, the next task should be to transform these contacts into tangible joint projects.

Oleksandr Korniienko paid special attention to human resource capacity. He recalled the relevant Ministry's intention to train a thousand project managers capable of working on international programmes. At the same time, he emphasised that training such specialists is a complex task, as it involves identifying suitable candidates, providing them with training, and equipping them with practical tools.

‘It is one thing to secure funding; it is quite another to see projects through to implementation, particularly given the shortage of staff,’ he noted.

The First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada called on communities to engage project managers more actively and to cooperate with relevant civil society organisations, local government associations, and regional development agencies.

He also emphasised that an important task for the Parliament at present is to monitor the implementation of the Law: it is necessary to identify which of its provisions work, which create difficulties, and what needs to be amended in order to make more effective use of international opportunities.

 

Olena Shuliak: The Law opened up opportunities, but communities need people and tools

Olena Shuliak, Chair of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine’s Committee on the Organisation of State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning, pointed out that the Law, adopted in April 2024, expanded the legal scope for international territorial cooperation.

In particular, the legislation defines three forms of such cooperation: cross-border, inter-territorial, and transnational cooperation. The powers of local governments have also been expanded, and provision has been made for the participation of territories under military administration.

‘We need to view the law as a key. But we understand that a key alone does not open a door. We need a hand to turn it, and a person who knows exactly what to do once we are through the threshold,’ noted Olena Shuliak.

She said that the main objective of the round table was to assess how effectively the mechanisms established by the legislation work, what prevents communities from applying them, and which procedures require improvement.

She identified staff shortages as one of the most pressing problems. In many communities, international projects rely on just a few staff members who prepare applications for grant programmes after performing their core duties.

Olena Shuliak also highlighted legislative changes that allow local government officials to receive additional payments for their work on international technical assistance projects. In her view, this is a practical step to support the specialists on whom the mobilisation of international resources depends.

The Chair of the Committee focused on the funding opportunities offered by European programmes. In particular, she noted that the total budget for Interreg NEXT Poland–Ukraine for 2021–2027 exceeds EUR 260 million, whereas the EU contribution to the Romania–Ukraine programme amounts to EUR 68 million. For smaller communities, small-project funds are also important, as they enable international partnerships to be established through smaller-scale initiatives.

Olena Shuliak emphasised that participation in such programmes helps Ukrainian communities to master European rules for the preparation, implementation, and reporting of projects. This experience will be significant for future Ukrainian participation in the EU cohesion policy.

According to her, the Committee will take into account the proposals and recommendations developed during the round-table discussion in its future legislative work.

 

Oleksandr Aliksiichuk: Communities can jointly employ project managers

Oleksandr Aliksiichuk, Member of the Ukrainian Parliament and Chair of the Sub-Committee on Cooperation between Communities and Regions, who was involved in drafting the Law, emphasised the importance of receiving practical feedback from communities.

He believes the research findings point to two interrelated problems: a lack of awareness of the opportunities offered by the legislation and a shortage of specialists capable of organising international cooperation.

He suggested that one possible solution would be to use mechanisms for cooperation between communities within the country. In particular, several communities could pool their resources to jointly fund project managers who would prepare and oversee international projects for all participants in such cooperation.

Oleksandr Aliksiichuk also drew attention to the difference between memoranda of understanding and agreements on international territorial cooperation. According to him, a significant number of partnership documents concluded by Ukrainian communities in 2022–2023 were primarily related to humanitarian support. However, such agreements do not always develop into long-term projects.

‘We confuse memoranda of understanding, memoranda of cooperation, and memoranda on humanitarian aid with cooperation agreements. These are different concepts,’ emphasised the Member of Parliament.

He also raised the issue of financial support for communities. According to Oleksandr Aliksiichuk, a mechanism is currently being developed whereby the state could temporarily provide funds to co-finance international projects, on condition that these funds are later repaid once funding is received from the relevant programme.

At present, as the MP reported, discussions are ongoing with the Ministry of Finance on how to ensure the legal and financial framework for such a mechanism to function.

 

Position of the Ministry: Some barriers can be removed more quickly

Deputy Minister for Communities, Territories and Internally Displaced Persons Tetiana Stefiuk highlighted the importance of assessing legislation in practice and receiving feedback directly from those who apply it.

According to her, international territorial cooperation is vital for the recovery of Ukraine, the development of the human resource capacity of communities, attracting investment, and European integration. Every international project implemented also provides communities with experience of working with European financial instruments and regulations.

She emphasised that it is important for the Ministry to hear exactly what barriers local governments encounter when implementing Law No. 3668-IX.

Tetiana Stefiuk assured those present that the Ministry would take into account the findings of the study and the proposals put forward by the round-table participants. She noted that certain issues, in particular the lack of information about opportunities for international cooperation, could be resolved relatively quickly. However, strengthening the human resource capacity of communities would take more time and require systematic work.

 

Chernivtsi region: 179 partnership agreements and 18 Interreg NEXT projects

Oksana Sakrier, Deputy Head of the Chernivtsi Regional Military Administration, presented the practical experience of Chernivtsi region.

In her words, the region has 179 agreements with foreign partners, 20 of which were concluded in 2026. However, by no means does every partnership agreement result in the implementation of a specific project.

‘An agreement is the first step. Next, we need to develop a strategy and identify areas of common ground for the implementation of a specific cross-border project,’ noted Oksana Sakrier.

She reported that the Chernivtsi Regional Military Administration, together with international partners, is implementing 18 projects under Interreg NEXT with a total value of EUR 15 million. She said that EUR 5 million of this is contributed by the Ukrainian side. The projects cover healthcare, civil protection, environmental protection, and digital transformation.

However, co-financing remains one of the biggest challenges. Even when a community has a promising idea and an interested international partner, a lack of the necessary funds can halt its implementation.

Oksana Sakrier explained that, during a full-scale war, local budgets are simultaneously used to fund the running of educational and healthcare institutions, support for internally displaced persons, energy security and other priority needs. Under such circumstances, communities are sometimes forced to choose between participating in a promising international project and funding urgent livelihood needs.

She said that the Chernivtsi Regional Military Administration is considering the possibility of establishing a regional programme to support the co-financing of cross-border projects. She also emphasised the importance of finding appropriate mechanisms at the national level.

Among the promising areas for international cooperation in Chernivtsi region, Oksana Sakrier highlighted the development of border infrastructure, the opening of additional border crossing points, and transport and logistics routes through Romania, particularly for the export of Ukrainian products.

 

Parliament should evaluate not only the adoption but also the outcomes of laws

A separate topic of the round-table discussion was the very practice of assessing the effectiveness of legislation.

Halyna Shevchuk, Senior Adviser on Parliamentary Support in Ukraine at the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, explained that the research was based on the post-legislative scrutiny (PLS) methodology – the evaluation of legislation after its adoption.

This approach means that the Parliament is not limited to adopting laws, but also analyses their implementation, whether they achieve their intended objectives, and their impact on those affected by them.

According to Halyna Shevchuk, the Westminster Foundation for Democracy has been working with Ukrainian Parliamentary Committees to implement this approach since 2018. One of the distinctive features of Ukrainian practice is that evaluations are performed relatively soon after a law comes into force, whereas in British practice such an analysis is often performed three to five years later.

She emphasised that an important element of parliamentary scrutiny is direct engagement with the public and those involved in legal relationships, who can report practical difficulties in applying the legislation.

According to her, the survey is just one stage of this process. The next stage involves dialogue between the Parliament, the executive authorities, local self-government, and experts, during which the findings of the study are supplemented by practical experience.

This approach was also the basis for the round table in Chernivtsi: the first day was devoted to analysing the legislation and the problems with its implementation, while the second day will focus on discussing practical case studies of international territorial cooperation.

 

From assessing the Law to practical solutions

Despite staffing, financial, and procedural difficulties, respondents highly value the importance of international territorial cooperation for Ukraine. In particular, 86% of respondents consider it a vital tool for the recovery of territories in the context of the war. Humanitarian aid, energy, reconstruction, support for defence, the Ukrainian Armed Forces, security and logistics are named as priority areas.

Meanwhile, for the majority of those surveyed, martial law has become a factor that limits the scope for international territorial cooperation. At the same time, some respondents, particularly those with relevant experience, reported the emergence of new opportunities for international partnerships.

The findings of the study and the discussions during the round-table meeting demonstrated that, to boost international territorial cooperation, it is not enough merely to provide for such opportunities in legislation. It is equally important to provide communities with specialists, accessible information, financial instruments, and clear procedures.

Not all of the identified issues, however, call for amendments to the Law. Some of them can be addressed through training, advisory support, the sharing of practical experience, the development of cooperation between communities and improvements to the organisation of project work.

However, issues relating to co-financing, specific administrative procedures, and state support for international projects need to be further examined at the level of the Parliament and the executive authorities.

The relevant Committee of the Verkhovna Rada plans to use the results of the study and the proposals made by the round-table participants in its future oversight and legislative work. Representatives of the Ministry also stated their readiness to take the feedback received into account.

The main conclusion of the discussion is that the next stage in the development of international territorial cooperation should be to expand the number of communities that actually make use of the opportunities provided by the Law. After all, the effectiveness of international partnerships is determined not by the number of documents signed, but by specific projects, the resources mobilised and the changes these projects bring about for community residents.