In March 2024, the head of the Kamianske municipality, Mykhailo Stanynets, signed an international partnership agreement with the mayor of Porto-Vecchio, Jean-Christophe Angelini. The agreement was made possible through the Bridges of Trust initiative of the U-LEAD with Europe Programme. This initiative is aimed at establishing cooperation between European and Ukrainian cities.
“The team of the Regional Office in the Zakarpattia Oblast introduced us to the representatives of the French commune of Porto-Vecchio in 2022. Then we agreed on partnership and mutual support. And this year, we signed a separate agreement that provides for concrete actions,” said Mykhailo Stanynets.
As part of the cooperation, 20 children from the municipality are to go to the French town in order to get to explore the country, improve their health and participate in various activities. They will live on the territory of the recreation facility that offers sports and entertainment events, guided tours, etc. for a week.
According to the head of the Kamianske municipality, internally displaced children, children affected by hostilities, as well as children of the military personnel from the municipality’s towns and villages will go to France.
The commune of Porto-Vecchio also handed over generators, lamps and blankets to Ukrainian partners to ensure energy security. “We agreed with Mayor Jean-Christophe Angelini that we will send these things to the municipalities of the regions affected by the shelling that will benefit from them now,” said Mykhailo Stanynets.
In partnership with Solidarité Corse Ukraine, the municipality plans to collect funds, which will then be used to support Ukrainians.
The head of the Kamianske municipality emphasised that he hoped to continue the cooperation with French partners even after the victory, as both municipalities have a lot in common. According to him, establishing a partnership with European municipalities is an important part of the work of local self-government, as it offers a boost for joint projects, mutual support and development.
“In this activity, it is important to be active, interact with experts and organisations that will help you in your search and help deepen the ties, as U-LEAD has done for us. For our municipality, this is the first agreement with concrete actions. We also have prospects of partnerships with Polish and German municipalities, so we are working on it,” said the head of the village of Kamianske.
Mykola Siusko, Deputy Head of the Regional Activity Department at U-LEAD, notes:
“The international partnership of local self-government bodies is an important tool for strengthening the capacity of municipalities, since it facilitates the exchange of knowledge, experiences and best practices and increases the attractiveness of territories for investors. In addition, international partnerships open up new opportunities for development for municipalities, such as project financing, technical support and access to international resources. Through Bridges of Trust, U-LEAD with Europe Programme works to connect Ukrainian municipalities that need support but lack experience in international cooperation with municipalities in the EU that are motivated and ready to help, and we are happy to see another municipal partnership yielding great results.”