On 31 March 2025, the Centre of Expertise for Multilevel Governance (CEMG) at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe completed its Programme “Strengthening Good Democratic Governance and Resilience in Ukraine” . Implemented since 1 January 2023, the Programme supported the continued High-Level Dialogue on good democratic governance, and produced substantive deliverables related to policy design and assistance in legislative matters (such as the Legal Opinion on the reform of state subnational representation CEGG/LEX(2024)1 and the Policy Advice on updating the Decentralisation Reform Concept CEMG/PAD(2024)6).
Additionally, the Programme provided consultancy to enhance inter-municipal co-operation, improve public service at the local level, strengthen integrity and public ethics, and delivered a range of capacity-building outputs aimed at raising awareness of multiple stakeholders and the general public of European standards and good practices in the area.
Addressing the final meeting of the Programme’s Steering Committee, which took place in Kyiv on 13 May 2025, Congress Director Claudia Luciani stressed that the Programme’s aim was to foster the decentralisation reform, local democracy and inclusive governance in Ukraine – even in the time of war. “Ukraine’s commitment to democratic values remains unwavering, and we are proud to support it,” she said.
“We are grateful for this co-operation with the Council of Europe, when even the most complex issues were guided by high-level expertise and open dialogue. Thanks to this strategic partnership, Ukraine has achieved tangible progress in preparing reforms amid challenging times,” emphasised Vitaliy Bezgin, Chair of the line Parliamentary Subcommittee of the Verkhovna Rada.
“The Council of Europe is implementing various large-scale projects of great importance in Ukraine. With its support and expertise, Ukraine is moving closer to European standards,” underlined Deputy Minister of Communities and Territories Development Oleksiy Riabykin.
The Programme “Strengthening Good Democratic Governance and Resilience in Ukraine” was implemented under the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” 2023-2026. Building on its achievements and lessons learnt, as well on those of other two other Congress’ projects in this area, the CEMG launched in April 2025 a new Project “Strengthening multilevel governance and local democracy to support Ukraine’s recovery”.
