On 23 and 24 October, the Centre of Expertise for Multilevel Governance at the Congress co-organised two events in Lviv to pursue its support to the development of metropolitan areas and functional territories in Ukraine.
First, a peer-to-peer visit on metropolitan governance brought together representatives from six existing and potential metropolitan areas to learn from the Lviv Agglomeration about their experience in strategic planning using the Council of Europe’s Strategic Municipal Planning tool, as well as its intermunicipal co-operation projects in transportation and mobility, waste management, and culture and tourism.
The following day, the group contributed to the second International Forum of Agglomerations of Ukraine, which outlined European approaches in the development of metropolitan areas and their potential implementation in Ukraine. The event gathered more than 120 participants from European and U.S. metropolitan areas, governmental authorities, members of the Ukrainian Parliament, and subject-matter experts. It served as a multistakeholder dialogue platform to discuss metropolitan governance within the broader context of multilevel governance reforms and to promote co-operation between central, regional, and local authorities.
Addressing the Forum, Congress Vice-President Andrew Boff (United Kingdom, R, ECR) recalled that the Congress has long promoted the principles of subsidiarity, local self-government, participation, transparency and accountability, which also apply to metropolitan areas. He pointed out that “metropolitan governance is about building a culture of partnership, co-ordination, and democratic accountability. Such co-operation makes democracy more effective and development more sustainable”.
For her part, Congress Director Claudia Luciani noted that “well-designed metropolitan frameworks can enhance both efficiency and democracy, making public services more coherent and ensuring that citizens retain a voice in shaping the development of their territories. When local authorities co-operate effectively, citizens benefit, trust in institutions grows, and democracy becomes stronger. We are happy to see the progress made in Lviv Agglomeration, with our support, and we stand ready to assist other metropolitan areas.”
The event was supported 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 Centre of Expertise for Multilevel Governance at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe
