A delegation from the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Organisation of State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning has started a working visit to France.

The delegation includes Ukrainian MPs Vitalii Bezgin, Tamila Tasheva, Oleksandr Aliksiichuk, Hanna Bondar, Larysa Bilozir, as well as representatives of the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories – Director of the Department of Multilevel Governance Mykola Rubchak, Head of the Department for Interaction with Local Governments Nataliia Yarovenko, and representatives of local government associations.

The focus of the trip is an in-depth study of the French model of decentralisation, modern approaches to territorial planning and mechanisms for managing agglomerations. These topics are crucial for Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction and for aligning our governance system with European Union standards.

During the first day of the visit, the Ukrainian delegation held a series of meetings with the leadership of the international aid agency Expertise France, members of the relevant National Assembly committees, Françoise Gatel, Minister for Regional Planning and Decentralisation, and the leadership of the Association of Mayors of France.

The French partners presented the historical development of decentralisation reform, strategies for establishing effective agglomerations, the state control system, and financial instruments that ensure the sustainable development of communities.

Vitalii Bezgin emphasised the strategic importance of such cooperation, ‘France demonstrates that a strong state is created through institutional stability and fairly distributed powers. When communities have responsibilities, resources, and the freedom to make decisions, trust, the quality of governance, and society’s ability to withstand crises all increase. For us, this is not just an exchange of experience. It is a practical guide on how to build a modern European model of governance that is responsible, comprehensible, and effective. It is on this model that the reconstruction and future development of Ukraine will be based.’

Mykola Rubchak, Director of the Department of Multilevel Governance at the Ministry for Development, emphasised the lessons in governance that Ukraine can scale up, ‘The French experience of clearly delineating the powers and responsibilities between different levels of authority is extremely valuable. This avoids duplication of functions, increases the transparency of spending, and improves the quality of public services. These are the principles on which we are basing further reforms.’

Serhii Sharshov, Deputy Executive Director of the Association of Amalgamated Territorial Communities, highlighted the importance of international contacts, ‘French communities have undergone the process of amalgamating communes and forming powerful agglomerations. Their practical experience encompasses not only legislation, but also the culture of governance. Visits like this one foster living partnerships between communities, which will evolve into joint projects and accelerate local reconstruction in the future.’

The Ukrainian delegation thanked the French Government and its people for their unwavering support for Ukraine and emphasised the importance of expanding international cooperation at community level as part of European integration and post-war development.

This working visit forms part of the RELEVE Project, implemented by Expertise France with the support of the French Government.