The heads of Ukrainian municipalities participated in the ACT NOW conference, organised by the U-LEAD with Europe Programme on 8–10 November in Brussels. We discussed the experience, practical benefits and key findings of this event with Natalia Petrenko, representative of the All-Ukrainian Association of ATCs, Head of the Platform of Temporarily Occupied and De-occupied Municipalities, Head of the Shulginka Rural Military Administration (Luhansk Oblast).
Was it challenging to get to Brussels?
That was not my first trip abroad, because the situation in the country demands discussing Ukrainian affairs at all international platforms. Russia has deprived our ability to travel faster. The fact that we waste a lot on the way is embarrassing. But this journey itself was very significant. After all, we headed to Brussels, to the heart of European democracy.
We went with one attitude: we would have to prove something to our international partners, but on the very first night we were informed about the European Commission's recommendation to start negotiations to accept Ukraine into the EU. The tone of the conversation immediately turned much more positive.
You were hosted by the European Committee of the Regions. Could you describe your overall first impression?
I was particularly impressed by the fact that MEPs ride bicycles, and have entire bicycle parking areas outside the European institutions. This was impressive because these officials do not drive any Mercedes or take VIP taxis. You meet people who try to help, ask questions, and offer to listen. That was the first impression I had: that I had come to a place of equals, not some sort of imperial palace to bow down, but to be listened to. We have to carefully consider the European system of communicating with people and implement it in our country.
Actually, we represented 5% of our entire self-government at this conference. Brussels hosted almost 70 delegates, from small municipalities like ours to large cities, which are mastodons of governance. But we were all equal at this event. We jointly informed Europeans of the benefits provided by our reform and stated that it should not be stopped.
The conference was aimed in particular at providing a platform for the representatives of self-government bodies to exchange views. What do you learn from this communication so far?
In general, I am grateful to the international partners for the chance to communicate with Ukrainian municipality heads, because we finally "saw" each other through the project activities within the decentralisation framework. We discovered that heads from the west or east, north or south are the same as you. And they have the same problems.
Let me digress a little. When the "orcs" came to our village, they saw a lot of disclaimers on buildings, on the ASC "made for EU money", "made for USAID money", and they found it like a cross for vampires. They tried to tear off these stickers, destroy the EU symbols. All such inscriptions caused them aggression. I felt so sad about it, I would like to say that these people [employees of Western organisations — Ed.] taught us to communicate, to leave our "shells", to share experiences and to learn from their colleagues.
You are the head of the military administration. How did that affect your participation in the event?
I am a former village head and this is the most valuable thing for me because former heads do not exist.
Thanks to such visits, it is possible to make people aware that there is nothing "scary" about military administrations. These are not a power usurpation or even something entirely military. When Europeans learn that I represent a military administration, they say, "It's nothing to do with us, this is about local self-government." So I tell them my story, I explain. That way, they listen and understand that I am just like them.
In your opinion, what was the most important experience at ACT NOW?
I was inspired by the fact that Europeans are ready to hear from our local self-government.
I came to this conference as a representative of the All-Ukrainian Association of ATCs. Our association has established 19 platforms, and each of them is tailored to the needs of the time. Currently, we have a new platform of occupied and de-occupied municipalities, and my colleagues have elected me to head it. So I was honoured to represent the association as well as to talk about Luhansk Oblast.
On the third day, I was invited to meet with representatives of the European Commission, in charge of the Ukraine Facility [a fund of up to 50 billion euros — Ed.] 15% of the funds allocated to the Ukraine Facility would be directed to the development of local self-government. It was our opinion that the European Commission wanted to hear about the need for a supervisory body in the allocation of these funds. I was accompanied by representatives of two other associations, the AUC and VAG Association, and our voices were in unison.
MEPs who had previously attended the U-LEAD event also spoke, so it was nice to meet them in Brussels as well. This is a sort of "island of trust" that not only central authorities manage and control everything. But the self-government representatives also have access, we shared our business cards, expressed our views, and were heard. Lots of letters with offers of further cooperation came to my personal mail.
It would be interesting to know more about these prospects, in particular, whether you managed to agree on closer cooperation.
36 municipalities from various countries were represented at the conference. Italians, Danes, Germans... There was an opportunity to communicate directly within the panels. We gladly exchanged our contacts with them. They are, obviously, concerned about the security component, but also ready to help both the frontline municipalities and the de-occupied ones. It is a long-term process, and a bureaucratic procedure, but it goes on: the mayors address local councils informing them that a certain Ukrainian municipality wants to be our partner, and they are in trouble, so let's give them a hand. It takes several sessions, several online connections. But it works. They provide equipment for hospitals or machinery for utility companies. These are those things that are currently developed here and now by the mayors. There are many posts on social media from my colleagues confirming that it works.
What should Ukrainian municipalities learn from their colleagues in the EU?
The expertise of the countries that underwent certain military events is very valuable, as they are more experienced in terms of reconstruction. There is no point back to the Soviet era and restoring everything as it used to be. The proper resource management is what we should learn from. When you enter Poland, you see windmills, solar stations and so on. In addition, it is an interesting approach to optimising education and other areas, since we can observe the comfort of a small gmina in Poland or small municipalities in Germany.
What is the general practical lesson from the ACT NOW conference for Ukrainian municipalities?
The most crucial is to keep up with the times, and constantly learn. The conference raised many anti-corruption issues. Local self-government bodies are the first to get rid of corruption as we were taught transparency in project management and accounting. These very projects have shown that: If we get a resource, and then account for it and demonstrate the sustainability of our work, we prove our worth to our partners.
But it is also necessary to be involved in decision-making. It is necessary to act in your territories as if it is your own. In order to feel no shame in front of people.
