Amendments to the law on inter-municipal co-operation (IMC) in Ukraine (draft no. 11412), prepared with the support of the Council of Europe and its Congress, were signed by President Zelenskyy on 2 June 2025. The law will come into force in one month.
With the amendments to the law, Ukraine streamlined the legal framework and local practices existing since 2014. In particular, the improved law foresees:
- simplified procedures for establishing and terminating co-operation projects;
- streamlined monitoring process by the government;
- possibility of initiating IMC at any stage of a budget cycle.
Moreover, it introduces a new form of co-operation in metropolitan areas.
The Council of Europe provided extensive consultancy on the amendments in 2023-2024 through the Centre of Expertise for Multilevel Governance (CEMG) at the Congress within its Programme “Strengthening Good Democratic Governance and Resilience in Ukraine”, which came to an end in March 2025.
All local government associations expressed their support for this draft.
Welcoming improvement of this legislation, Congress Secretary General Mathieu Mori underlined that “The updated law on inter-municipal co-operation is a step that builds on the foundations laid in 2014. By refining the legal framework and addressing practical challenges faced by communities, it opens new opportunities for more effective and sustainable co-operation at local level. The Congress welcomes this progress and reaffirms its commitment to supporting Ukraine in strengthening local self-government and delivering better services to citizens”.
