A delegation of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, led by Cecilia Dalman-Eek, President of the Chamber of Regions (Sweden, SOC/G/PD), visited Kyiv on 25-26 May 2026. The mission aimed to strengthen political dialogue with Ukrainian authorities at all levels, and to take forward the Congress’ support to Ukraine’s democratic resilience, decentralisation reform, and recovery.

“The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe has stood in unwavering solidarity with Ukraine from the very outset of this war of aggression, and indeed ever since the illegal occupation of Crimea. Through our successive declarations, the Congress has consistently championed a human-centred, inclusive, transparent, and sustainable approach to recovery; we have made it clear that reconstruction must be shaped from the grassroots,” underlined Cecilia Dalman Eek addressing participants of the 4th International Summit of Cities and Regions on 26 May.

“The contribution of local and regional authorities to rebuilding Ukraine is indispensable. Even amid the ongoing war, Ukrainian municipalities continue to innovate and lead,” stated Congress Secretary General Mathieu Mori also speaking at the Summit, which gathered Ukrainian central, regional and local authorities alongside international partners to focus on resilience, preparedness and recovery of Ukrainian communities and regions on the road to the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2026.

During the visit, the delegation held bilateral meetings with national partners and representatives of local and regional authorities on topics such as:

•  Local governance and municipal leadership: The delegation met with Vitali Klitschko, Mayor of Kyiv and Chair of the Association of Ukrainian Cities (AUC), to discuss municipal resilience. They also held an exchange with Ukraine’s four national associations of local and regional authorities regarding topical issues as well as public ethics and the prevention of corruption.
•  Financial and economic management: Bilateral talks were held with Sergii Marchenko, Minister of Finance, as well as with Oleksii Sobolev, Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture, focusing on local finance management and public investments.
•  Digital and cultural transformation: The delegation met with Valeriia Koval, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation, and Ivan Verbytskyi, Deputy Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications.

Overall, the exchanges focused on advancing the local self-government reform, strengthening multilevel governance in line with Council of Europe standards, and providing further support to Ukrainian partners within the upcoming Council of Europe Action Plan “Democratic Security for Ukraine” 2027 – 2030.

On 25 May, Congress representatives took part in the Platform for National–Local Dialogue on Open Government in Ukraine. This event brought together central government officials, local authorities and civil society to advance Ukraine’s National Action Plan on Open Government, promote local democratic innovation, and showcase community-led practices of resilience and co-operation during the war, including citizens’ assemblies in Kyiv and Rivne.

Recognising the vital role of youth in the democratic future of the country, the delegation met with students at the National University of Kyiv – Mohyla Academy. The interactive dialogue centred on youth participation and the role of young people in democratic processes during wartime.

The delegation reaffirmed the Congress’s continued commitment to supporting Ukraine in strengthening local democracy, effective multilevel governance and accountable local self-government as essential elements of the country’s resilience, recovery and European path.

The delegation included Cecilia Dalman- Eek, President of the Chamber of Regions (Sweden, SOC/G/PD); Andrew Boff, Vice-President of the Congress (United Kingdom, ECR); Åsa Ågren Wikström, Spokesperson on Ethics and Prevention of Corruption (Sweden, EPP/CCE); Christian Debève (France, ILDG), Rapporteur on the situation of Ukrainian refugees across Europe and Mathieu Mori, Secretary General of the Congress. They were accompanied by Viktoriia Kravets, the Congress youth delegate in respect of Ukraine.

The mission to Kyiv was organised within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” 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.