EU regions and cities call for decentralised reconstruction process in Ukraine ahead of Gdansk recovery conference

On 7 May, representatives of Europe’s cities and regions welcomed Oleksii Riabykin, Ukraine’s Deputy Minister for the Development of Communities and Territories, to highlight the role of local and regional authorities in Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction, ahead of the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC) in Gdańsk in June.

The debate took place during the plenary session of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), which initiated the European Alliance of Cities and Regions for the Reconstruction of Ukraine, to mobilise and coordinate support for Ukrainian municipalities and regions during and after Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Opening the debate, Kata Tüttő, President of the European Committee of the Regions, told Deputy Minister Riabykin: “We are and will be with you. Ukraine’s recovery will be won locally, in cities and regions that keep the country running and rebuild communities.” President Tüttő will represent the European Alliance of Cities and Regions for the Reconstruction of Ukraine at the URC on 25-26 June.

Deputy Minister Riabykin told CoR members that Ukrainian cities and regions continue to maintain public services effectively despite repeated attacks on infrastructure, with local authorities adapting governance, energy systems and essential services under wartime conditions. He said Ukraine’s recovery needs over the next decade are estimated at $588 billion (€500 billion), quoting assessments by the World Bank, the European Union and the United Nations.

The deputy minister said Ukraine is developing new models of resilience centred on decentralised decision-making, distributed energy generation, protection of critical infrastructure and rapid recovery systems.

Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, mayor of Gdańsk, said the conference should deliver practical outcomes for Ukrainian communities and strengthen cooperation between European and Ukrainian local authorities. European cities and regions have much to learn from Ukraine’s experience in maintaining resilience during wartime, she said.

Find out more

Press release