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07.03.2025
Cities4Cities at the 10th European Congress of Local Self-Government in Poland
Inter-municipal partnerships are one of the most effective ways for European countries to stay together in difficult times. Their role, challenges and prospects were discussed at the 10th European Congress of Local Self-Government, held on April 3-4, 2025 in Mikołajki, Poland.
This year’s congress brought together more than 2000 participants from 35 countries, including representatives of local authorities, governments, businesses, universities, think tanks, and civil society organizations. The Cities4Cities initiative, with the support of the Swedish-Ukrainian Polaris program, became a part of this large-scale event by presenting a special panel discussion.
Svitlana Blinova, coordinator of the Cities4Cities initiative, moderated the panel “International partnership between local governments: Building long-term support for Ukraine”.
The panelists discussed how inter-municipal partnerships can help Ukraine in the process of European integration, strengthen cooperation between European cities, and contribute to the rebuilding of Ukrainian communities.
Ambassador of Ukraine to Poland Vasyl Bodnar emphasized that today Ukrainian society is stronger than the state, and its ability to self-organize is superior to other countries. He noted that local governments in Poland can help Ukrainians form a structural basis for joining the EU. “We have to be complementary in terms of practical results in the EU perspective,” he emphasized.
He was supported by the Mayor of Rzeszów, Kondrad Fijolek, who is already working with 7 sister cities in Ukraine. He said that he plans to open the Academy of Local Self-Government in Rzeszow so that Ukrainian communities can learn from the Polish city in the process of European integration.
Oleksandr Aliksiichuk, People’s Deputy of Ukraine: “Recently, a law was passed that allows (but does not oblige) the corporatization of municipal institutions, which will make it possible to attract investments from both Ukrainian and European investors. These are tools that may be of interest to European partners in the process of rebuilding Ukraine.”
Anatolii Zahornyi, Vice President of the Movement Respect Moldova Party, noted that partnership between administrations is the backbone of municipal cooperation. “Consolidation of contacts will have a long-lasting and sustainable effect on cooperation,” he emphasized. Anatolii Zahornyi also outlined the areas of future cooperation: infrastructure, trade, investment, and digital technologies.
Michał Lebduszka, analyst at the Association of International Affairs Research Center, drew attention to the importance of adopting Europe’s experience in reconstruction. “Ukraine is interested in the long-term effect of reconstruction, so that it stands firm. To do this, we must first study the experience of Europe,” he emphasized. He also noted the importance of combating disinformation through international educational programs at the university and youth exchanges.
Jacek Kluczkowski, member of the Economic Forum’s Program Board, noted that cooperation should be developed at the regional level, as most EU funds are distributed there. “Ukrainian local governments impress with their resilience. I was impressed with how quickly and efficiently you organize replacements for the destruction,” he said. He also emphasized the role of diplomatic missions in establishing cooperation and the importance of Ukraine’s integration into the European macro-regional strategy.
Svitlana Blinova, coordinator of the Cities4Cities initiative, emphasized that partnerships between cities are low in effort and money and have very long-lasting results. She summarized: “Inter-municipal partnerships are one of the most effective ways for European countries to stay together. For Ukrainians – to learn from the process of European integration. Europeans can learn from the unique experience of civil protection, medicine, and digitalization.”
Cities4Cities | United4Ukraine are partner initiatives that joined forces in September 2022. Cities4Cities was founded by the German city of Sindelfingen under the patronage of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe. United4Ukraine was launched by SALAR International and the city of Lviv with the support of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). Since 2024, Cities4Cities | United4Ukraine has been a part of Sweden’s flagship program for Ukraine, Polaris, “Support to Multi-Level Governance in Ukraine”.