The Law on Inter-municipal Co-operation (IMC) was one of the first steps in Ukraine’s journey of decentralisation reform. After nearly 10 years of its implementation, the Centre of Expertise for Good Governance  within its Programme “Strengthening Good Democratic Governance and Resilience in Ukraine” ” is revisiting this topic with its Ukrainian partners, based on a survey and analysis of the state of play in the area.

During a moderated discussion on 8 April 2024, more then 150 participants, including members of the Parliament, Government officials, as well as representatives of local authorities and their associations, civil society and experts shared their reflections and ideas. Based on the survey results, 50% of Ukrainian municipalities had some experience of inter-municipal co-operation, with most IMC projects focused on co-financing of service provision to citizens. Education, health care and utilities (including water supply and solid waste management) were priority services provided under IMC agreements. At the same time, almost 90% of respondents indicated that IMC would become crucial for the post-war recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine, emphasising the need for a more structured, diverse and flexible legal regulation of this instrument, taking into account also specificities of IMC in metropolitan areas.

The Centre of Expertise will continue its support to Ukraine to improve the legal framework on IMC, with a series of thematic consultations already planned for April 2024.

The activity was organised by the Programme “Strengthening Good Democratic Governance and Resilience in Ukraine” in co-operation with the Specialised Parliamentary Committee on Local Self-Government. The Programme is implemented under the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” 2023-2026 by the Centre of Expertise at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.