6-8 December 2016 – Kyiv (Ukraine) – 25 Ukrainian local councillors, mostly in  their first electoral mandate, met in Kyiv to discuss the implementation of the principles of the European Charter on Self-Government in Ukraine, to improve their understanding of the local democracy tools and mechanisms. They strongly expressed their will to change the traditional mindset for a modern democratic behaviour. This expectation for change was supported by Congress Member Andrew Boff (United Kingdom, ECR): “You have the power to change. You are not alone. It is the power of councillors to ask questions to executive authorities”. The seminar also enjoyed the participation of Volodymyr Prokopiv (Ukraine, EPP) Head of the Ukrainian delegation to the Congress of local and regional authorities and Congress Member Pikria Avaliani (Georgia, SOC). Participants exchanged on good practices to promote citizens’ participation, ethical decision-making, their roles and responsibilities within the current trend of decentralisation reforms in the country with experts and peers from Georgia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Ukraine.

Participants from Rivne, Sumy, Volyn, Chernihiv regions had also the opportunity to discuss the practices of Kyiv and Lutsk city in introducing participatory budgeting and in dealing with the issue of conflict of interest. The Ukrainian Councillors developed further ideas for next steps which will allow them to improve the situation in their communities.

The workshop “Local Councillors: everyday actors of local democracy” was organised in the framework of the Project “Promoting local democracy in Ukraine”, which is part of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine 2015-2017.

Ukraine joined the Council of Europe on 9 November 1995, ratified the European Charter of Local Self-Government on 11 September 1997 and its Additional Protocol on the right to participate in the affairs of a local authority on 2 September 2014. Countries which have ratified the Charter are bound by its provisions. The Charter imposes compliance with a minimum number of rights and principles, which are the European bedrock of local self-government. The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe ensures respect for these principles.

Contact:

Marité Moras, Head of the Co-operation Activities Unit, Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Tel: +33 3 88 41 22 33  

Svitlana Gryshchenko, Project Manager, Council of Europe Office in Kyiv,
Tel: +380 50 45 23 118