One of the reasons for Poland's success in implementing the European Funds over the last 20 years was the transfer of some of the funding decisions to the local government. We are now sharing this experience with Ukraine, which is facing the challenge of decentralisation reform and EU accession,

said Deputy Minister for Development Funds and Regional Policy Jan Szyszko during the discussion on the first day of the conference.

Participants in the debate titled “Resilient municipalities – Strong Local Self-government for Ukraine's recovery” – including German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Svenja Schulze, Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Johan Forssell and First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oleksandr Korniyenko – discussed the development challenges for Ukraine's regions in connection with future EU accession. The issue of strengthening the role of local governments as a key driver of the European integration process was also raised.

Adoption of the “Coalition for Sustainable Municipalities” declaration

The URC2024 brought together a group of representatives of governments, city and regional associations and networks of partnerships, all of whom are committed to cooperate with Ukraine. Members of the International Coalition for Sustainable Cities adopted a declaration on this matter. 

It strives to support Ukraine's efforts to strengthen the role of local government in view of EU accession and the reconstruction process, including technical assistance with decentralisation reform.
The Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy, as well as two Polish cities – Rzeszów and Gdańsk – joined the coalition.

Assistance from the Ukraine Facility

The agreement between Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego (BGK) and the European Commission was entered into in the presence of the Deputy Minister Jan Szyszko during his visit in Berlin. It aimed to secure the BGK facility from the Ukraine Facility's funds to support the private sector – in particular small and medium-sized enterprises – in the reconstruction and modernisation of Ukraine.

This new mechanism incorporates EU budget support for Ukraine into a single facility. Its budget for 2024-2027 is EUR 50 billion. This sum comprises EUR 33 billion in loans and EUR 17 billion in grants.

The Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy coordinates the implementation of these measures by Poland.

International talks

Meetings with representatives of the German and Ukrainian governments, the European Commission and Polish enterprises constituted an important part of Jan Szyszko's visit in Berlin.

The Deputy Minister of the Ministry of the Development Funds and Regional Policy also conducted talks with Natalia Kozłowska, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine The theme of the meeting was the launch of a new regional policy internship and training programme. It will be implemented by our ministry between in the 2024-2025 period. It will include 60 officials and experts from Ukraine.

The Ukraine Recovery Conference, which took place in Berlin on 11 and 12 June 2024, was attended by representatives of many countries – including members of the G7, Ukraine and Poland – as well as representatives of the business world and financial institutions. 

The Polish delegation was headed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski. The URC2024 was also attended by Paweł Kowal, Chairman of the Council for Cooperation with Ukraine, and Andrzej Szeptycki, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.