“Ukraine's recovery is not just about rebuilding cities, but about reaffirming a democratic European identity. Local governance is the foundation upon which that identity is built,” underlined Congress President Marc Cools at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome on 10 July 2025.
Addressing the conference, President Cools pointed out that strategic recovery demands a multilevel governance model where local authorities are not merely service providers, but co-architects of policy and reconstruction. “The values of the European Charter of Local Self-Government must me embedded in reconstruction laws and decentralisation reform. Recovery must also be rooted in social cohesion – in the ability of communities to heal, rebuild trust, and forge inclusive futures,” concluded the Congress President.
On 11 July, Congress Secretary General Mathieu Mori will present the Congress action in support of Ukraine. This action includes the facilitation of the political dialogue on the future of decentralisation in the country, the definition of the division of competences between tiers of government, as well as support to metropolitan governance and to democratic innovations at local level, such as deliberative democracy.
The Congress Secretary General will also present key recommendations for balancing robust local autonomy with strategic national coordination. Those include preparing for the transition from military to civilian administration, establishing clear oversight mechanisms of state supervision, boosting intermunicipal co-operation, deepening civic engagement, and ensuring transparency and accountability. According to Secretary General Mori, Ukraine’s governance transformation is not a technical fix, but a democratic renewal. The Congress stands ready to support this transformation at every step.
The Congress delegation at the Conference also includes Vice-Presidents Bernd Vöhringer (Germany, EPP/CCE) and Gunn-Marit Helgesen (Norway, EPP/CCE), as well as Congress Co-rapporteurs on reconstruction and recovery in Ukraine Veronique Bertholle (France, SOC/G/PD) and Amelie Tarschys-Ingre (Sweden, ILDG).
