A ‘Strasbourg format’ meeting was held in Kyiv to discuss one of the key issues of local self-government reform — the delineation of powers between state authorities and local governments.

The event was attended by representatives of local self-government associations, members of the Ukrainian Parliament, national and foreign experts, and representatives of central executive bodies, including the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine — the leading institution responsible for forming and implementing state policy in the field of local self-government.

During the meeting, the general approaches to delineating powers between state authorities and local governments at all levels were discussed. The issues of sectoral decentralisation and the provision of material and financial support for the powers of local self-government were also raised.

The delineation of powers is not only fundamental to effective governance, but also a key element in strengthening multi-level governance, a process supported by the Council of Europe in its Action Plan for Ukraine 2023–2026.

Besides, this is one of the indicators of the European Union’s Ukraine Facility programme, which is particularly important for the European integration of Ukraine.

Clear delineation of duties and responsibilities between levels of authority ensures transparency and effective decision-making, thereby increasing public trust in state institutions.

The work continues. Consensus is being built step by step.

For reference, the ‘Strasbourg format’ of meetings was initiated by the Council of Europe specifically for Ukraine in 2018. It was subsequently extended to other countries as an effective tool for dialogue and consensus-building between reform actors.

The meeting was organised 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’s programme ‘Strengthening multilevel governance and local democracy to support Ukraine’s recovery’.

The programme is part of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine ‘Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction’ 2023–2026.