On 12 September 2025, the first consultation on the draft document ‘Specifics of Implementing the Concept of Reforming Local Self-Government and Territorial Organisation of Power in the Context of Military Challenges and Preparing for Ukraine’s Membership in the European Union’, developed by the Ministry for Development and published in August 2025, took place in Odesa.

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The event was organised by the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine with the support of the Council of Europe. Nearly 200 representatives of local governments, executive authorities, all-Ukrainian associations of local governments, civil society, and scientific and expert communities from the Vinnytsia, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Odesa, and Kherson regions participated in the event.

Oleksii Riabykin, Deputy Minister for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine, opened the meeting by emphasising the need to preserve the ideology, goals and principles of the reform to ensure its irreversibility and successful completion.

‘Today, our task is to adapt the decentralisation reform to the new conditions. This involves enhancing the legislative framework, reinforcing the capabilities of local authorities, restoring the powers of local governments after de-occupation and training them to operate in accordance with European regulations. It is crucial that we clearly delineate powers at all levels of authority and provide communities with the necessary resources to fulfil their duties,’ emphasised Oleksii Riabykin.

Daniel Popescu, Head of the Promoting Local Democracy Department at the Secretariat of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, also welcomed the participants. As well as emphasising the importance of developing high-quality content, he also stressed the importance of open and transparent consultations.

 

 

‘The Council of Europe has consistently supported Ukraine in implementing decentralisation reform and strengthening local democracy. In the context of war and on the path to EU membership, this support is particularly important today. Our goal is to empower Ukrainian communities to not only survive wartime, but also to leverage the opportunities of European integration for sustainable development,’ said Daniel Popescu, Head of the Promoting Local Democracy Department at the Secretariat of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.

Hennadii Trukhanov, Mayor of Odesa, noted that the experience of recent years, especially since February 2022, has convincingly demonstrated the effectiveness of local self-government and the ability of communities to act in the most challenging conditions. He stressed the need to unite all parties in order to continue the reform process and emphasised the importance of direct consultations as a space for dialogue and joint decision-making.

 

 

The participants discussed the key challenges that affect the development of local self-government and territorial organisation of power. These challenges include the temporary occupation of territories, the destruction of infrastructure, demographic changes, economic decline, and a reduction in local budget revenues.

Regional consultations will be an important step in finalising updated approaches to continuing the reform process, which remains one of the Government’s priorities. These consultations aim to take into account the views of a wide range of stakeholders.

Earlier, the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine presented the ‘Draft Specifics of Implementing the Concept’ for public discussion. Comments and suggestions can be submitted until 24 September 2025 by emailing mlg33minhromad@gmail.com.

Regional consultations are organised by the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine with the support of the Council of Europe within 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 as part of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine ‘Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction’ for 2023–2026.