“We have witnessed a broad, transparent and inclusive public consultation process on the updated decentralisation reform concept, carried out by Ukraine’s Ministry for Development of Communities, with support from the Congress. It is of paramount significance in view of the European Charter of Local Self-Government,” underlined Congress Director Claudia Luciani opening the presentation of the draft report on the conducted consultations, in Kyiv on 10 October 2025. The meeting followed regional meetings in Odesa, Poltava and Lviv.

Director Luciani also confirmed the Council of Europe’s commitment to help Ukrainian stakeholders at the next phase of “real action” for designing a specific Action Plan to follow the Concept and ensure a systemic approach to reforms.

Daniel Popescu of the Congress Secretariat presented Council of Europe recommendations to Ukraine on such fundamental elements of the anticipated reform as legality supervision over local authorities’ acts and division of competences between the state and local self-government.

The final presentation on 10 October brought together more than 120 participants representing local authorities and their associations, regional state administrations, civil society, academia and international technical assistance projects.

The public consultations in Odesa, Poltava and Lviv and the presentation in Kyiv were organised within the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” for 2023-2026 and 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.