The first Strategic session on multilevel governance in Lviv metropolitan area within the Board meeting of the Association “Lviv agglomeration” took place in Lviv on 27 May 2025. The event brought together communities’ leaders, the Association’s Executive Committee, and experts to discuss development priorities and the state of implementation of the Lviv agglomeration Development Strategy until 2027.
Adopted in November 2023, the Lviv agglomeration Development Strategy until 2027 was developed with the support of the Council of Europe’s Centre of Expertise for Multilevel Governance (CEMG), following the methodology of Strategic Municipal Planning (SMP). This key document outlines the main objectives for regional development and promotes effective inter-municipal cooperation between communities.
Roman Kizyma, Executive Director of the Association, presented the current state of implementation of the Strategy and emphasised the importance of inter-municipal cooperation: “We have already achieved particular results, but further success depends on systematic cooperation between communities”, he noted.
Participants of the session identified priority projects planned for implementation in 2025–2026, including waste management, integration of the transport system, as well as initiatives in education, culture, and tourism.
Strategic sessions play a vital role in implementing these initiatives, providing a platform for discussing shared priorities, defining further steps, and coordinating actions among all stakeholders. Such events enable communities to effectively align efforts toward common objectives, which contributes to the successful implementation of the Lviv agglomeration Development Strategy until 2027.
Another key opportunity for the development of agglomerations is the new draft law on amendments to some laws of Ukraine concerning the development of the Law on inter-municipal cooperation. The draft low, currently awaiting the President’s signature, introduces agglomerations as a separate form of cooperation regulated by specific legislation. This will provide communities with a legal basis for closer and easier cooperation and open new opportunities for joint initiatives.
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities supports the development of inter-municipal cooperation through capacity-building activities, such as joint strategy sessions and new legal initiatives, because they contribute to achieving significant progress, improving public services and the quality of life at the local communities.
The event is organised 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.
