“Ukraine’s decentralisation reform proved to be one of its greatest strategic assets during the full-scale invasion, allowing local leaders to safeguard utilities, protect communities, and co-ordinate immediate relief,” stated Congress Secretary General Mathieu Mori at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdańsk, Poland, on 25 June 2026.

Speaking in a panel “Ukrainian Communities: Resilience in Action”, he highlighted that local democracy was a prerequisite for security, resilience, and recovery, and warned against accidental recentralisation. “The rebuilding architecture must not roll back democratic gains; the principles of the European Charter of Local Self-Government must remain the bedrock of all recovery planning,” he said, adding that reconstructed infrastructure had to be managed by transparent, legally protected, and well-trained local authorities.

Secretary General Mori further pointed out that foreign interference and disinformation campaigns actively target the local level, because eroding trust in local authorities means fracturing public trust in the entire democratic state. He outlined Congress action in Ukraine aimed at strengthening citizens’ trust through participation in local decision making, deliberative democracy (citizens’ assemblies) and capacity building at local level.

“To invest in Ukraine’s recovery is to invest in its local leaders, who are the frontline defenders of both their communities and our shared European democratic values,” concluded the Congress Secretary General.