Local self-government representatives in Ukraine have ample experience both at the hromada and oblast level, that they can share with their European counterparts. At the same time, they need new knowledge that can more effectively solve local issues in modern conditions. And we are convinced that European colleagues will enrich this knowledge with their best practices and skills, said Vyacheslav Nehoda, First Deputy Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Communal Services, during the meeting of the EU Committee of the Regions – Ukraine Task Force in Brussels (Belgium), commenting on the work of the Ukrainian hromadas and regions within the Peer-to-Peer cooperation.

During the event, representatives of the Kharkiv and Khmelnytskyi Oblast Councils, as well as the Chemerovetska, Shyrokivska and Veselivska amalgamated hromadas, presented their achievements and shared their plans for the future, which they seek to implement, relying on the experience of their European colleagues.

“The reform of local self-government and territorial organisation of power in Ukraine has opened up great opportunities for hromadas and regions. However, they face a number of important challenges and tasks, which will be much easier to cope with due to the experience of the European colleagues. I am confident that the Peer-to-Peer cooperation will help exchange such experience,” said Vyacheslav Nehoda.

It should be mentioned that on 12 February 2018, MinRegion, the Kharkiv and Khmelnytsky Oblast Councils, the Chemerovetska, Shyrokivska, Veselivska AHs and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH signed a Memorandum of Understanding and cooperation in the framework of the Peer-to-Peer cooperation of the EU Committee of the Regions – Ukraine Task Force on decentralisation with the support of the U-LEAD with Europe Programme.

It is anticipated that during 2018 the mentioned regions and amalgamated hromadas will exchange practical experience of implementation of the development projects with their European colleagues in the course of trainings, study visits and internships.

Reference
The Peer-to-Peer cooperation was developed within the framework of the EU Committee of the Regions – Ukraine Task Force. It is aimed at developing partnership between local and regional authorities of the EU and Ukraine, as well as at exchange of experience that promotes local and regional development.

The EU Committee of the Regions invited its members and their administrations (EU local and regional authorities) to cooperate with Ukrainian counterparts. Therefore, five peer partners from two regions of Ukraine and two regions of the EU were selected, as well as three municipalities – amalgamated hromadas – from Ukraine and three municipalities from the EU member states.