At the Conference of the Council for the Development of Communities and Territories in Ukraine held in Kyiv on 25 February 2021, Congress Secretary General Andreas Kiefer wished the newly established "Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Ukraine" success and encouraged Ukrainian authorities to continue the commitment to an inclusive consultation process with representative associations of local and regional authorities as they are the key partners in ensuring collaboration and consultation between central and local government. This exchange forum brought together the highest political leadership of the country, including Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the President of Ukraine, Dmytro Razumkov, the President of the Parliament of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, and Oleksiy Chernyshov, the Ukrainian Minister for the Development of Communities and Territories (Minregion) as well as mayors and local representatives.
"The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe is committed to supporting future constitutional and legislative reform processes which should be guided by the European Charter of Local Self-Government, a key instrument to strengthen democracy and local self-government in Europe," said Secretary General Kiefer, recalling that the Charter has opened a new era in the decentralisation of power, the empowerment of citizens and their elected representatives and also provides for adequate, inclusive, representative and timely consultation between different levels of government.
"The Charter also protects representative associations of municipalities, towns, cities, oblasts and regions for the benefit of local authorities, their inhabitants and elected representatives and officials who hold local office and can manage a significant part of public affairs under their own responsibility and in the interest of the local population," added Andreas Kiefer.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, President of Ukraine presented a general overview of successful decentralisation in Ukraine and stressed the need to adopt a law on local referendum to improve communication between citizens and local authorities, which should also contribute to the reform of local self-government. The Congress of the Council of Europe will adopt a report on "Holding referendums at the local level" and thus provide input for the discussions and developments in Ukraine, Andreas Kiefer concluded.
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities is implementing a project "Strengthening democracy and building trust at local level in Ukraine” within the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine 2018‑2021. The project aims to improve the quality of local democracy in Ukraine by strengthening institutional frameworks and by supporting local authorities and their national associations in their efforts to promote ethical decision-making and more citizen-oriented, inclusive and transparent local governance.
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