Several months ago the Ternopil Local Government Development Centre began a systematic work on the implementation of intermunicipal cooperation of hromadas in the Ternopil Oblast. The preparation process included, first of all, a set of training seminars, development of local norms, provision of analytical recommendations to the Ternopil oblast state administration and oblast council, preparation of the Programme and proposals of the oblast council session, study visits to the Poltava Oblast, and collection of needs regarding cooperation directions, etc.

The Centre has recently begun a consistent work on real search and implementation of intermunicipal cooperation directly in the AHs of the oblast.

The Terebovlyanska, Mykulynetska and Ivanivska amalgamated hromadas have become the first to cooperate. The Zolotnykivska AH is likely to join this group. The meeting was held at the Terebovlya сity сouncil and was attended by the heads of the mentioned councils Serhii Poperechnyi, Ruslan Shafranovych, Petro Osypchuk, as well as deputy heads Lyudmyla Kolisnyk and Taras Vitkivskyi.

The parties exchanged views on their needs and opportunities, and decided to start work on information gathering, contracts’ drafting, and studying of such cooperation projects.

Consultations on intermunicipal cooperation began between Pochayivska and Lopushnyanska amalgamated hromadas. The heads of the hromadas Vasyl Boyko, Oleksandr Stetsyuk, their deputies and representatives of the Ternopil LGDCs, established with the support of the “U-LEAD with Europe” Programme and MinRegion of Ukraine, determined the main areas of cooperation, discussed the needs of hromadas and identified the potential forms of cooperation.

Viktor Lytvynchuk, Director of the Ternopil LGDC, hopes that the first projects of intermunicipal cooperation and corresponding agreements between hromadas will soon appear in the Ternopil Oblast. At present, the Ternopil Oblast is one of the few areas that still does not have any hromadas’ cooperation projects. There is every reason to hope for a way out of the "inert zone" during this year. The next year has been defined by the Ternopil Local Government Development Centre as a year of cooperation between hromadas, and sees cooperation as the top topic of the year.

In a week a group of heads and deputy heads of AH councils will make a working trip to Poland, where they will study the experience of our foreign partners and colleagues.