The partnership between Polish gminas and Ukrainian municipalities should play a leading role in the implementation of the Declaration on Intermunicipal and Interregional Cooperation executed in early June between the Ministry of Funds and Regional Policy of the Republic of Poland and the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine.

This was stated by Viacheslav Nehoda, Deputy Minister for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine, at the Poland-Ukraine Local Solidarity Forum.

The event was organised by ULEAD with Europe jointly with the Association of Polish Cities and invited Ukrainian and Polish municipalities, NGOs and volunteer movements, representatives of local business communities that have supported or would like to support Ukraine, as well as representatives of Ukrainian and Polish embassies.

Poland is one of the EU countries that are most supportive of Ukraine during Russia’s armed attack on Ukraine. Polish municipalities send humanitarian aid to their partners, provide shelter and try to offer the best living conditions to people fleeing the war.

“Poland’s actions in support of Ukraine are impressive. For example, in late May, I paid working visits to Łódź and Warsaw, where I discussed possible areas of inter-municipal cooperation between the two countries with the Minister of Funds and Regional Policy Grzegorz Puda. And in early June, our agencies signed a Declaration. Now we have to work on acting on it. Today, Ukrainian municipalities have numerous needs. Humanitarian aid is critical, including in reconstruction, rebuilding and modernisation. However, Ukrainian municipalities also need cooperation aimed at revitalising the local economy and creating new jobs. Humanitarian aid cannot be a decisive source of overcoming the challenges faced by our municipalities today,” said Viacheslav Nehoda.

Volodymyr Shmatko, Mayor of Chortkiv and Volodymyr Markushyn, Mayor of Irpin, also spoke at the Forum on behalf of Ukrainian municipalities. They presented a clear vision of possible areas of inter-municipal cooperation.

On 9 June 2022, the Slovakia-Ukraine Local Solidarity Forum was held, where the local self-government of the municipalities of the two countries came together to discuss the wartime challenges.