During their visit to France, members of the Ukrainian Parliamentary Committee on State Administration, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning learnt how agglomerations function and how the state supervises local self-government.

During the visit, the delegation had meetings with representatives from the agglomerations of Reims, Montpellier and Lyon, the Occitanie region, the Hérault prefecture, the Reims subprefecture and the Occitanie Regional Chamber of Accounts. The main focus was a thorough examination of agglomeration institutions, considering the various characteristics of inter-municipal entities in different regions of France, the organisational requirements of municipalities, and the practical mechanisms for delivering public services.

Agglomeration representatives provided the Ukrainian delegation with detailed information on the decision-making process, the delineation of powers between agglomeration bodies and municipalities, income sources, and practical experience in implementing large investment projects.

‘French agglomerations demonstrate a high level of administrative coordination between municipalities. For Ukraine, this is more than just an organisational model – it is a lesson in how to improve community functioning through legislation, introduce transparent decision-making and financial resource distribution mechanisms, and strike a balance between community autonomy and regional coordination. We see that such a system enables large-scale investment projects to be implemented and increases the efficiency of public service delivery,’ commented Ukrainian MP Vitalii Bezgin.

Tamila Tasheva, Chair of the Subcommittee on Restoration of State Authority and Local Self-Government in Temporarily Occupied Territories, noted that the experience of the French prefectural system and its control over municipalities would be extremely valuable for Ukraine, particularly in territories awaiting the restoration of state authority.

‘Understanding how powers are delineated, how finances are controlled, and how management works will help us to build transparent and sustainable mechanisms in the liberated territories. These mechanisms will ensure the safe and effective restoration of infrastructure and services for citizens,’ said Tamila Tasheva.

According to the MP, the delegation also learned about environmental and waste management practices, ‘Responsibility for managing these issues has been fully transferred to the agglomeration level. It is the Metropolis that is responsible for the waste collection, sorting and recycling system, and it implements the “zero waste” strategy. This is an important lesson for Ukrainian communities planning large-scale infrastructure projects,’ said the Ukrainian MP.

 

 

During a meeting with the prefect in the subprefecture of Reims, the Ukrainian delegation discussed the issue of state supervision of local authorities.

‘The prefect system in France has evolved to strike a balance between control and partnership. This is particularly relevant to us, given that the discussion about introducing the prefect institution in Ukraine has been ongoing for a long time, and it is one of the most challenging aspects of completing the decentralisation reform,’ added Tamila Tasheva.

Oleksandr Aliksiichuk, Chair of the Subcommittee on Cooperation between Local Authorities and Regions, emphasised the role of inter-municipal cooperation:

‘The French experience shows that the success of communities largely depends on their ability to pool resources, share best practices, and coordinate local development. This is an important message for Ukraine: developing inter-municipal cooperation should be one of the main ways of improving the effectiveness of local self-government.’

Ukrainian MP Vitalii Bezgin emphasised the potential for developing international inter-municipal cooperation.

‘We need to triple the number of partnerships between Ukrainian and French communities and regions in 2026. Over the next few months, we will develop a joint roadmap with the French Ministry for Europe and the Association of Mayors of France to identify priority areas and an implementation algorithm. Expertise France will coordinate this process,’ said Vitalii Bezgin.

The visit was organised by the RELEVE Project, implemented by Expertise France with the support of the French Government.