On 1–2 April 2026, the fifth round of the High-Level Dialogue “Good Democratic Governance in Ukraine: Achievements, Challenges and the Way Forward in Post-War Period” was held in Strasbourg. Its objective is to reach a broad agreement on the improvement of the legal framework on multilevel governance, transition from military to civilian governance and elections, in light of European standards, good practices and Ukraine’s EU candidate status.
The Dialogue was held in the format of in camera moderated discussions under Chatham House rules and brought together senior representatives of key Ukrainian stakeholders, including the leadership of the Parliament of Ukraine, Members of Parliament representing different parliamentary factions and groups, Government, Central Election Commission, security and law-enforcement authorities, media regulator, all-Ukrainian associations of local and regional authorities, and civil society organisations. The Dialogue was facilitated by the Council of Europe through the secretariats of the Parliamentary Assembly, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, and the Venice Commission.
The first day of the Dialogue focused on the multilevel governance system in Ukraine in a war and post-war context. Discussions centred on decentralisation reform in Ukraine, financial resources of local authorities, as well as the recovery of local self-government in the post-war period, in particular the recovery of local self-government in de-occupied and frontline territories and resetting the governance system in temporarily occupied territories.
On the second day, discussions targeted safe, secure and resilient democratic post-war elections in Ukraine, as well as the necessary legal framework, interagency coordination and cooperation. In this context, particular attention was paid to the legal and organisational preconditions for calling, organising and conducting post-war elections, as well as the measures needed in response to security challenges. In particular, discussions addressed countering disinformation and malign foreign interference in elections and building electoral resilience in the post-war period.
Over the two days, the Dialogue served as an important platform for a substantive exchange of views between key Ukrainian stakeholders and the Council of Europe on multilevel governance, the recovery of local self-government and preparations for post-war elections in Ukraine.
The High-Level Dialogue was launched at the Council of Europe in November 2022 at the initiative of the Parliament of Ukraine, the Government and the Central Election Commission and has been held annually at the request of the Ukrainian side. The fifth round of the Dialogue was organised with the support of the Council of Europe projects “Strengthening multilevel governance and local democracy to support Ukraine’s recovery” and “Supporting democratic post-war elections in Ukraine – Phase II”, implemented within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” 2023–2026.
