The European Union’s influence on the development of decentralisation in Ukraine

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to analyze the European Union’s role in supporting decentralization reform in Ukraine. The methodological framework of the study consists of SWOT analysis (identification of strengths and weaknesses), comparative analysis (comparison of EU instruments), historical analysis (the evolution of decentralization reform), and prognostic analysis (to outline the prospects for the EU’s role in local self-government reform).

The results of the study include an analysis of the characteristics of decentralization reform in Ukraine, which revealed a high level of its implementation. Key challenges in the implementation of this reform have been identified; in particular, the main obstacles include the Russia–Ukraine war (2014–2026) and the occupation of a significant portion of Ukrainian territory, the complexity of implementing the reform amid active military operations and martial law, and the economic crisis. Local self-government reform is one of the most successful and effective reforms and has enabled the development of local communities. Local communities have gained the ability to manage their own finances more effectively, formulate their own budgets, manage their own property, make independent decisions, and solve problems autonomously. The effective implementation of reforms is a key requirement for Ukraine’s accession to the EU. The study found that the EU has provided significant institutional and financial support for the implementation of decentralization reform. The study analyzed key EU financial, institutional, and regulatory instruments supporting decentralization reform in Ukraine. It identified key forms of cooperation between the EU and Ukraine in the field of local self-government, including bilateral meetings, the implementation of bilateral agreements, the EU’s Eastern Partnership initiative, and cross-border cooperation. It is necessary to fulfill all requirements for EU accession, harmonize Ukrainian legislation with European standards in the field of local self-government, adopt European best practices of local communities and implement them in Ukraine, achieve EU accession and effective post-war recovery, and conduct a comprehensive assessment of all challenges facing Ukrainian territorial communities and take them into account. A key aspect of implementing effective reforms is ending the Russian–Ukrainian war and providing security guarantees to Ukraine.

The conclusions underscore the importance of intensifying decentralization reform in Ukraine, incorporating European norms and standards into Ukrainian legislation, and signing an agreement between the EU and Ukraine that would regulate the framework for implementing this reform.