“The Congress supports local authorities in Ukraine in strengthening transparency and good governance even in times of war”, stressed Congress Vice-President Gunn Marit Helgesen (Norway, EPP/CCE) addressing the European Committee of the Regions’ Working Group on Ukraine at its meeting in Gdansk, Poland on 24 February 2023.
Ms Helgesen praised local authorities in Ukraine as “they have shown that, against the background of the terrible consequences of the war, transparency, accountability and inclusive governance are high on the agenda of Ukrainian local and regional leaders.”
“It is inspiring to see that local authorities in Ukraine consider transparency, accountability and citizen participation as key ingredients in their daily governance”, underlined Ms Helgesen, adding that “Ukrainian communities that creatively develop and use innovative open government tools, contribute with their practices and lessons learned to democratic and European aspirations of Ukraine”.
Accompanied by Congress Secretary General Mathieu Mori, the Vice-President had the opportunity to exchange with a broad range of European institutions on further enhancing the co-operation efforts to support cities and regions in Ukraine. She also presented the Declaration adopted by the Congress Bureau on the occasion of the one-year anniversary of the war.
On the same day, she addressed a public rally of Ukrainian and Polish mayors and civil society. She reaffirmed that the Congress stands by the Ukrainian people at this historically decisive time for Ukraine and the world, and believes in a common, democratic future based on respect for international law and a just peace.
See also:
- Congress Declaration on the Russian Federation’s war against Ukraine
- Russian Federation's war against Ukraine: special file
- Helping Ukraine - Cities4Cities
