Ukrainian authorities remain committed to the principles of good democratic governance and continue their efforts to enhance local self-government in line with the European Charter of Local Self-Government. How to ensure this process while the full-fledged Russian aggression is going on? This was one of the main headlines of the 9th Local Self-Government Forum in Lviv (Ukraine), that took place on 21-22 September 2022, in a hybrid format.

The key thematic sessions of the Forum were designed in order to identify the best solutions for the following questions:

• What is the optimal distribution of local competences and responsibilities in the war context?
• How to preserve local finances and economic sustainability?
• How to coordinate measures for energy security at municipal level?
• What is needed for the recovery of local communities and what can local authorities do to support internally displaced persons (IDPs) and facilitate their integration?
• Metropolitan governance: is it relevant?
• Civil service at local level: how to improve the existing legal framework and harmonise local and central services?

The Forum gathered 150 local authorities in person, as well as numerous participants online. The Centre of Expertise for Good Governance of the Council of Europe is a partner of the event through its Programme “Enhancing decentralisation and public administration reform in Ukraine”.

Welcoming the participants, Steen NØRLOV, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine and Representative of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe on the coordination of its cooperation programmes, positively assessed the progress of the decentralisation reform in Ukraine that was successfully evolving before Russia’s aggression. The decentralisation reform had been so successful that it did not even appear among the reforms still needed to join the European Union, but it has to be finalised. He reassured the audience about the Council of Europe’s firm and continued support to Ukraine, and mentioned the preparation of a new framework document for the next four years on “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction”.

The Council of Europe experts Markiyan DACYSHYN and Myroslav KOSHELIUK moderated the discussions dedicated to metropolitan governance and social cohesion. They presented the Council of Europe’s recommendations to Ukraine on these matters and its on-going targeted support through policy and legal advice, as well as a grant programme addressing current challenges.

To address these and many other questions and in response to a request of the Specialised Local Self-Government Parliamentary Committee, the Centre of Expertise for Good Governance of the Council of Europe prepared the Policy Advice on the Roadmap for Local Self-Government Recovery from the Consequences of the War (CEGG/PAD(2022)3 of 30 June 2022).