News from the front line featured constantly in the debate on co-ordinating the aid provided to Ukraine by associations of local and regional authorities in Europe and making it more effective. Brought together by the Congress, their representatives were able to exchange views directly with their Ukrainian counterparts, while taking in the gripping emotion of the youth delegates, whose future is being played out every day on the front line and also elsewhere in the country or abroad.
The time has come for concrete and resolute action. In her message to participants, Svenja Schulze, German Minister for Economic Co-operation and Development, called on all European municipalities which had not yet done so to join the initiative of the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC). Set up by her country this year, the network enabled municipalities throughout Europe to join forces and help local authorities in Ukraine through an unbureaucratic mechanism for the swift transfer of medicines and other basic necessities. The German government provided financial and administrative support for the partnerships but by summer 2025, when the next URC meeting would be held in Italy, it was important to include small municipalities, which were often excluded.
Having been detained by urgent business relating to the damage caused by Russian bombing, Vitali Klitschko, President of the Association of Ukrainian Cities and Mayor of Kyiv, also addressed the participants in a video message after a minute’s silence for the Ukrainian victims. He expressed his gratitude for the unrelenting support for Ukraine and its decentralisation efforts. His thanks went to the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities and the Council of Europe, but also to the Council of European Municipalities and Regions, the European Committee of the Regions and all his colleagues from European associations of local authorities. The mayor stressed that preserving and restoring local self-government were crucial for Ukrainian democracy, which was why a plan for rebuilding local self-government in Ukraine had been developed with international partners. Having already successfully completed various reconstruction projects for the municipalities and regions of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Kherson and Chernihiv, and also Mariupol, the Association of Ukrainian Cities shared with its counterparts the hope that the democratic world would soon be victorious.
In the meantime, as stressed by the Mayor of Mariupol, particular emphasis had to be placed on rebuilding towns liberated recently or in the conflict zones where mayors were forced to manage support for soldiers and displaced persons. In this connection, the rebirth of Mariupol would be an “unprecedented and visionary experiment” in rebuilding a ghost town that had been completely evacuated and destroyed. Above all, the particular context called for the rapid building of social housing with the advice and support of European associations so as to encourage the displaced inhabitants to move back. Having been traumatised by the destruction of their property, they also needed to have their losses recognised and recover faith in justice. The mayor therefore called on his European counterparts to work for a diplomatic solution to release the Russian assets frozen in Europe for use in reconstruction in Ukraine.
Pointing out that at the very time at which the conference was taking place, Kharkiv was being threatened with destruction and the city authorities were working relentlessly to free women and children trapped under rubble, Tetiana Yehorova-Lutsenko, President of the Ukrainian Association of District and Regional Councils and Head of Kharkiv Regional Council, focused in particular on the challenge involved in saving Ukrainian cultural heritage as an essential component of the country’s identity. The Ukrainian authorities were therefore calling for assistance from volunteers, non-governmental organisations, international foundations and professionals with experience of saving heritage in emergency situations. They were also seeking the support of international partners for the conservation, restoration and repair of heritage sites because of the high costs involved and also to develop digital archives and launch awareness-raising and fund-raising campaigns. At the same time, since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a process to change place names and dismantle monuments and memorials associated with the Russian state had been launched by public initiative, driven by an urgent need to restore justice as a precondition for the success of reconstruction.
On behalf of Mr Markiyan Kliuchkovskyi, Executive Director of the Council of Europe Register of Damage caused by the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, Ms Petra Neumann described in detail the mechanism of the register, which received claims from individuals, companies and state and municipal entities. Between 300 000 and 600 000 compensation claims were expected, but the register would include more, as new categories of losses and damage would soon be added. A co-ordination platform would provide support for relevant stakeholders, including local and regional authorities, through regular exchanges and flows of information for the various groups of people affected in different geographical areas. An interactive toolbox would soon be provided in the form of a dynamic document. Lastly, the register was also relying on training of trainers by the Council of Europe in liaison with local and regional authorities in order to produce a multiplier effect under an interinstitutional approach.
Delivering justice also meant sharing the complex emotions raised by the ongoing tragedy. The statement by Sofiia Bohdanova, Ukrainian youth delegate, touched the participants’ hearts. Focusing on both the hope and despair of Ukrainian young people, who were moving on a tightrope, at times driven by a strong will to survive and, at others, faltering and tempted to give up, she succeeded in highlighting the need to combat the indifference and weariness that were now setting in in European countries given the length of the war. She referred, in particular, to the need for European support for efforts in terms of education for all and for diverse support in the field of mental health, and was warmly applauded by the participants.
Her colleague, Liana Ioannides, youth delegate from Cyprus, then took over as moderator and gave the floor to representatives of European municipalities to share concrete examples of co-operation with their Ukrainian counterparts. The delegates mentioned the need to support small farmers in Ukraine and also to set up a European instrument to fund the reconstruction of infrastructure and public services in Ukraine, while transferring equipment and water supplies to border communities where life had to be restored quickly after Russian attacks.
Lastly, logistical, educational and moral support for Ukrainian immigrants in Europe’s towns and cities was mentioned as a strategic aspect of the support for Ukraine, while not forgetting the holding of events to raise public awareness in Europe. In conclusion, Ms Véronique Bertholle, Deputy Mayor of Strasbourg, therefore invited participants to visit the exhibition staged at the Council of Europe by the city’s authorities, in which Ukrainian and Alsatian children showed “their ability to design peace better than adults.”
