“We are at the service of Ukraine to continue the decentralisation reform. Our assistance also serves Ukraine’s path towards the EU,” stressed Congress Director Claudia Luciani speaking at the Annual Decentralisation Forum in Bucha, Ukraine, on 1 December 2025. She outlined the Council of Europe’s support provided to the country in 2025 for improving the Ukrainian legal framework on multilevel government reforms, which focused on revamping the 2014 Decentralisation Reform Concept and developing a new draft law related to the division of competences between the state and local self-government.

Namely, the Centre of Expertise for Multilevel Governance at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities produced a number of dedicated policy advice documents, facilitated high-level discussions and provided consultancy on these fundamental matters to shape Ukraine’s future reforms under martial law and after its termination.

Diverse stakeholders representing local and regional authorities, their associations, the Ukrainian Parliament, Government and Presidential Office, as well as civil society and international community attended the event. The Forum is an annual meeting organised by the Parliamentary Committee on Local Self-Government.

The Council of Europe supported this Forum within the 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 Centre of Expertise for Multilevel Governance at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.