On 2-3 July 2024, Council of Europe and key national stakeholders from Ukraine gather in the headquarters in Strasbourg to discuss perspectives for good democratic governance reforms in Ukraine and further actions to improve the legal framework on multilevel governance and elections in line with European standards.
At the opening of the two-day event Council of Europe Deputy Secretary General Bjørn BERGE emphasised that “together, we have the means and the will to ensure reform that will deliver strong, stable and democratic institutions for the long-term in Ukraine for the benefit of all Ukrainians.”
Welcoming participants to the meeting, First Deputy Chairperson of the Parliament of Ukraine Oleksandr KORNIYENKO said: “The High-Level Dialogue on good democratic governance at the Council of Europe is extremely important on Ukraine’s path to European integration and to strengthening our country’s democracy. This is a great opportunity to discuss the prospects for reforms, improvement and harmonisation of our legal framework with European standards. I am convinced that the joint efforts of all stakeholders will contribute to enhanced transparency and efficiency of democratic governance. This is a versatile platform for finding consensus and solutions that will meet the needs of Ukrainian society and Ukraine’s aspirations to join the European Union.”
“The decentralisation reform in Ukraine has led to the creation of bigger, stronger and more resilient local authorities, which proved to be pivotal in resisting the Russian aggression,” underlined Secretary General of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe Mathieu MORI at the opening of the event. “We value our co-operation to strengthen multi-level governance system in Ukraine in a war and post-war context,” he continued, adding that the Council of Europe and its Congress remained a leading strategic policy adviser in this area for Ukraine’s Parliament, Government and associations of local authorities.
Participants include parliamentarians, representatives of the Ministry of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development, Central Election Commission, local authorities and its associations, expert community. The Council of Europe is represented by the chairmanship of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, Parliamentary Assembly and the Venice Commission. The event was organised within the framework of the Council of Europe Programme “Strengthening Good Democratic Governance and Resilience in Ukraine” and the project “Supporting democratic post-war elections in Ukraine” implemented under the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” 2023 – 2026.
