Ukraine continues strengthening its democratic foundations at local and regional level even under the strain of war. On 13–14 June 2026, residents of the Lviv Agglomeration gathered in Lviv for the first session of a citizens’ assembly focused on a shared challenge for this metropolitan area’s 13 communities: how to preserve and use water resources sustainably.
Backed by the Congress, the assembly marks a unique case as it is organised not within a single municipality or city district, but at the level of an agglomeration bringing together its 13 communities. Selected by lottery to reflect the demographic diversity of the Lviv Agglomeration, the participants began a deliberative process that will lead to recommendations for local authorities.
“Today, you are joining the deliberative wave in Europe, addressing one of the most critical challenges of our time: the adequate management of water resources. By establishing this assembly, the Lviv Agglomeration is demonstrating that the best way to manage shared natural resources is through strong local co-operation and direct citizen engagement. And, in doing so, you are pioneering deliberative democracy at metropolitan level in Ukraine,” said Cecilia Dalman-Eek, President of the Congress Chamber of Regions, during the opening session. “Despite the immense challenges Ukraine continues to face, your commitment to democratic governance and environmental stewardship is an inspiration to us all,” she added.
The opening session brought together representatives of Lviv City Council, the Association “Lviv Agglomeration” and heads of the agglomeration’s member communities. Participants of previous citizens’ assemblies in the Rivne community and the Obolon district of Kyiv also shared their experience, inspiring the new assembly members to take an active role in the process.
During the first weekend session, participants learned about the citizens’ assembly process, mandate and rules of interaction. They discussed the role of the Lviv Agglomeration, mapped shared water-related challenges across the 13 communities, and engaged in expert “speed dialogues” on rivers and lakes, drinking water, wastewater and sewerage, flood risks, recreation, civil oversight and water governance.
The discussions helped participants identify key issues requiring intermunicipal co-operation and define priority areas for further work. The next sessions of the citizens’ assembly will take place on 27–28 June and 11–12 July 2026, when participants will continue developing recommendations for local authorities.
The preparation and implementation of the citizens’ assembly are conducted as part of 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. It provides comprehensive expert and methodological support for the organisation and implementation of citizens’ assemblies in the Rivne community, the Obolon district of Kyiv, and the Lviv Agglomeration in 2026. In October 2025, bilateral memorandums of understanding were signed in Strasbourg.
