How can communities engage effectively with the EU?

Key takeaways from the first day of the course “EU Integration: Impact and Opportunities for Communities” by the Сities4Сities and the Swedish-Ukrainian Polaris Programme “Supporting Multilevel Governance in Ukraine.”

Lecturer: Marta Suprun, Cities4Cities expert on EU integration advocacy.

The administrative organisation of EU member states falls under the competence member states and is not regulated by the European Union. Different EU countries have varying degrees of decentralisation and power distribution across governance levels. France, for example, has a centralised model with over 36,000 municipalities, which have relatively limited powers.

Meanwhile, Sweden and most Eastern European countries (which underwent liberalisation processes) are highly decentralised, with strong local and regional self-governance.

Since Ukraine gained EU candidate status in June 2022, political dialogue between the European Union and the Ukrainian government has intensified, alongside efforts to align Ukrainian legislation with EU standards.

It would seem, then, why discuss local self-government in the context of EU integration at all, if most European integration issues are resolved at the level of central government?

The role of local self-government in the EU

First, 70% of EU legislation directly impacts local governance. The more decentralised a country is, the greater this impact. If a country assumes certain obligations in the process of European integration and then fails to fulfill them, it may result in penalties or a shortfall in funds from the European Union, which will have a significant negative effect on the country as a whole. Some obligations are not just administrative but also financially demanding. For instance, the European Committee of the Regions estimates that 8 out of every 10 euros spent on implementing the European Green Deal (aimed at reducing carbon emissions on the European continent) are allocated at the local level.

Second, communities are key recipients of EU funds. Their ability to implement projects determines how much funding the country receives overall. This depends on factors such as: availability of qualified project managers, co-financing capacity, alignment of local strategies with regional and national ones, etc. The ability of communities to implement projects does not always depend on the communities themselves. In many cases, local governments in member or candidate countries require support infrastructure at the central or regional level and depend on effective cooperation between national, regional, and local authorities. 

How multi-level governance works in the EU

The principles of subsidiarity and multi-level governance are fundamental to the EU’s functioning.

Multi-level governance means recognising competencies, shared responsibilities, and cooperation between different governance levels (EU, member states, federal, regional and local) in decision-making, implementation, and evaluation. This approach is not declarative, but finds a response both in the structure of the EU institutions and in the procedures used for decision-making. Moreover, this principle applies not only to how decisions are made at the EU level, but also in the member states themselves.

That is why, even if in some EU countries the government plays a key role in the dialogue with the EU, it certainly involves local governments in internal consultations on certain issues related to local development. For example, the delegation of local government representatives to the Committee of the Regions, which is the main voice of local government in the EU, is carried out by the government on behalf of the state, but it is local governments that propose delegates. It is important to note that the delegated representatives of the Committee of the Regions have equal rights and status, regardless of whether they represent a small community of 500 residents or a city with one million inhabitants. The Committee of the Regions in general is an important political elevator for representatives of small communities, who can thus be heard at the EU level.

The same applies to the joint advisory committees with EU candidate countries established under the Committee of the Regions. Currently, there are 3 such committees with Southeast European countries, but it is expected that a joint advisory committee will soon be established with Ukraine. In the case of Montenegro, the delegation of members of the advisory committee is generally carried out by the national association of local governments, which allows the committee to work more effectively and defend the interests of local authorities.

In addition, it is a common practice for the EU to include local governments in the monitoring committees of regional EU programmes, either directly or through associations. This applies to both the cross-border, regional and transnational cooperation programmes available to Ukraine today and special programmes established within the framework of the EU structural funds or pre-accession instruments (for Ukraine, such an instrument, albeit in a slightly modified form, is the Ukraine Facility).

The importance of local government associations in defending the interests of communities is enshrined in the European Charter of Local Self-Government, which is a guideline for European policy. This fundamental document gives local governments the right to form associations to defend their interests in decision-making at both the national and European levels, to engage in international cooperation and to be members of international associations of local governments. That is why most member states are represented in Brussels not only by diplomatic missions, but also by local government offices that actively monitor processes, lobby for decisions and cooperate with EU institutions.

How Ukrainian communities can engage with the EU today

There are three possible ways of dialogue between communities and the EU, and each of them is important:

First, it is the work of local government associations with European institutions, primarily the European Commission and the Committee of the Regions.

Second, it is the coordination of local government efforts with the government of Ukraine in its dialogue with European institutions and the process of European integration.

Third, it is communication, through participation in events and programmes of the European Union aimed at dialogue with communities. In particular, it is worth mentioning just a few of the immediate opportunities that will be useful for Ukrainian communities:

• Enlargement Day 2025, which annually discusses the challenges of European integration for the candidate countries in the Committee of the Regions.
• Young elected politicians programme (YEP), which provides young politicians from the local level with an opportunity to establish important contacts with representatives of European institutions and to see 
• Various contests and statuses for cities. For example, last year, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko was nominated for the Mayor Paweł Adamowicz Award.

There is also an opportunity to register for the Cities4Cities course“EU Integration: Impact and Opportunities for Communities”. This course will enhance your confidence in engaging with European-level initiatives, help you negotiate more effectively with international partners, and enable you to define your development priorities more clearly for the coming years.

The course is supported by Sweden’s flagship programme for Ukraine Polaris “Supporting Multilevel Governance in Ukraine”.

Cities4Cities | United4Ukraine are partner initiatives that joined forces in September 2022. Cities4Cities was founded by the city of Sindelfingen (Germany) under the patronage of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe. United4Ukraine was initiated by SALAR International and the city of Lviv, with support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). Since 2024, Cities4Cities | United4Ukraine has been part of Sweden’s flagship programme for Ukraine Polaris “Supporting Multilevel Governance in Ukraine”