On 22 October 2026, a public presentation of the comprehensive report of the citizens’ assembly in the Lviv Agglomeration on “How can we preserve and sustainably use our water resources?” took place in Lviv. The event was organised by the Council of Europe project “Strengthening multilevel governance and local democracy to support Ukraine’s recovery”, in co-operation with the Association “Lviv Agglomeration”.
The presentation brought together representatives of local authorities from the communities of the Lviv Agglomeration, members of the citizens’ assembly, experts and representatives of the Council of Europe project. Participants took stock of the first deliberative process in Ukraine conducted at the agglomeration level and discussed the next steps for considering and implementing the recommendations developed by the assembly. Members of the citizens’ assembly also shared their experience of participating in the process and their views on the further implementation of the recommendations.
Cecilia Dalman Eek, President of the Chamber of Regions of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, and Liubomyr Zubach, Deputy Mayor of Lviv, delivered opening remarks.
Cecilia Dalman Eek highlighted the significance of the first experience of conducting a citizens’ assembly at the agglomeration level in Ukraine and stressed the importance of co-operation between communities in addressing shared challenges.
“Water does not stop at administrative boundaries. Addressing issues such as water quality, wastewater treatment and the protection of rivers and lakes requires co-operation across communities. The citizens’ assembly has shown that such co-operation can also include citizens themselves – not only as participants in consultations, but as informed partners in considering solutions to shared challenges,” she noted.
The Lviv Agglomeration citizens’ assembly was held in June–July 2026 with the expert, methodological and financial support of the Council of Europe project. Fifty residents from the 13 communities of the Lviv Agglomeration were selected by random selection to take part in the assembly. Over three weekends, they explored issues related to the preservation and sustainable use of water resources, engaged with independent experts, analysed shared challenges and discussed possible solutions. Following six days of joint work, assembly members developed and adopted
The recommendations address, among other issues, the development of sewerage and wastewater treatment infrastructure, financial support for households, monitoring of water resources, environmental education, rainwater use and strengthened co-operation between communities. Some of the proposed measures can be implemented by individual communities, while others require co-ordinated action across the Lviv Agglomeration.
The comprehensive report provides an overview of the preparation and implementation of the citizens’ assembly, its results and final recommendations, as well as an evaluation of the process and proposed next steps for implementing the recommendations.
- Comprehensive report of the Lviv Agglomeration citizens’ assembly
- Recommendations of the Lviv Agglomeration citizens’ assembly – Flyer
- Video about the Lviv Agglomeration citizens’ assembly
An important part of the event was the discussion of next steps with representatives of the local authorities of the Lviv Agglomeration communities. The discussion focused on considering the recommendations, identifying opportunities for their implementation and co-ordinating further action among the communities.
The presentation of the report marks not the end of the process, but the beginning of the next important stage – the consideration and practical implementation of the recommendations. Open and consistent follow-up to the recommendations by local authorities, together with keeping residents informed about decisions taken and next steps, is essential to ensuring the tangible impact of the deliberative process and maintaining citizens’ trust in it.
The preparation and implementation of the citizens’ assembly as well as the preparation of the report take place 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 Council of Europe Centre of Expertise for Multilevel Governance at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.
