On 2 – 3 July 2024, the Council of Europe headquarters in Strasbourg hosted the High-Level Dialogue III “Good Democratic Governance in Ukraine: Achievements, Challenges and the Way Forward in Post-War Period". Within two days, key Ukrainian stakeholders discussed ways to improve the legislative framework for multi-level governance and elections in light of European standards, good practices and Ukraine's status as an EU candidate country, with moderation ensured by the Secretariats of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.
The High-Level Dialogue gathered the leadership and senior officials from Ukrainian Parliament and other national and local authorities, including the First Deputy Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Mr Oleksandr Korniyenko, members of the Parliamentary Committee on Organisation of State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning, representatives of various parliamentary factions (groups), representatives of the Secretariat of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Chair and representatives of the Central Election Commission, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the President of Ukraine Office, Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, representatives of local authorities, the Ukrainian National Bar Association, all-Ukrainian associations of local self-government bodies and the expert community.
Within the framework of the High-Level Dialogue discussions, the participants focused on issues related to ensuring exercise of electoral suffrage and other political and related rights in the context of post-war elections in Ukraine and challenges to national security, as well as the implementation of international standards. They discussed residency and citizenship qualification requirements for the post-war elections, as well as the application of political lustration and transitional justice. Particular attention was paid to participation in the work of election commissions, oversight of election campaign and transparency of campaign financing, as well as domestic election observation. The exchanges and discussions on election related matters were facilitated by the Secretariat of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe with expert contribution from the representatives of the Venice Commission and the European Court of Human Rights.
Following intensive and productive discussions, the participants underscored the value of the co-operation between Ukraine and the Council of Europe in accompanying the steady progress of Ukraine on its path towards the European Union. They expressed their commitment to ensuring that first post-war elections in Ukraine are safe, free and fair, and underlined the importance of continuation of discussions within the High-Level Dialogue format which allows to openly discuss sensitive issues among main national stakeholders concerned and benefit from the Council of Europe moderation and expertise.
This continued partnership aims to support Ukraine in achieving democratic governance and fulfilling its EU aspirations, ensuring a transparent and effective electoral process in the challenging post-war context.
*The event was organised within the framework of and with the support of the Council of Europe projects "Supporting democratic post-war elections in Ukraine" and "Strengthening Good Democratic Governance and Resilience in Ukraine", implemented within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine "Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction" for 2023-2026.
