During their study visit, 18 representatives of municipalities of the Ternopil and Ivano-Frankivsk Oblasts learned how project activities, international partnership and cross-border cooperation, social entrepreneurship and business relocation affect the local economic development of municipalities of the Zakarpattia Oblast.
“Throughout the week, the participants saw the activities of the municipalities of Kolochava, Onokivtsi, Perechyn, Baranyntsi and Poliana. Each can boast of a wide variety of implemented projects, experiences of international cooperation and attracting investments. However, each also has their own vision and opportunities. Participants can observe the specific path of local economic development that suits their municipalities and implement it in their territory as well as see similar problems or opportunities to develop their own municipalities with a new perspective and new-found confidence,” said Pavlo Lohvinov, Head of the Regional Office of U-LEAD with Europe in the Zakarpattia Oblast.
Here is a comment from one of the participants of the study visit, the head of the Zabolotiv municipality, Petro Maliborskyi:
“Adults learn by sharing experiences. Positive changes in a municipality result from best practices of other municipalities. I was curious to learn about the use of project management and international cooperation with the EU countries, as well as to understand how it works in practice.”
Cross-border projects and international cooperation
Almost all the visited municipalities are proud to cooperate with not one, but at least ten twin municipalities in the EU countries. Proximity to the border facilitates the implementation of international projects aimed at solving common problems, boosting local economic development and strengthening each of the partner municipalities.
In the Poliana municipality, the deputy village head, Ruslan Rebrysh, spoke about the construction of the Administrative Services Centre and providing it with the necessary furniture and equipment with the support of U-LEAD, as well as the implementation of an international project aimed at improving the quality of sports and educational services in the Poliana Children’s School of Arts and the Poliana Children’s and Youth Sports School. He also pointed out the importance of building partnerships with local businesses as a point of municipality growth and development.
The Onokivtsi municipality also presented international cooperation projects:
“We are located on the border. We have partners in 16 EU countries, including Germany, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland, etc. For us, the implementation of projects and the exchange of experiences in various fields are priorities for cooperation. Over the past few years, we have implemented more than ten culture and agriculture projects, improved conditions for schoolchildren, environment, biological water and sewage treatment,” said Maria Koval, head of the Onokivtsi municipality.
Three employees of the KP "Uzhhorod District Development Agency" are engaged in project activities here, which are financed from the municipality budget. Note that U-LEAD experts are currently advising representatives of the Onokivtsi municipality on the preparation of an application for participation in the Interreg Europe 2021–2027 programme.
Petro Slipets, first deputy head of the Horostkiv municipality, Ternopil Oblast, stated that he had learned a lot of useful information about cross-border cooperation and entering into international agreements.
“At the meetings in the municipalities, I was able to see the practical side of these issues,” he said.
The participants of the visit also explored the results of cross-border tourism and culture development cooperation. They visited the Nevytske Castle in the Onokivtsi municipality, the Descent of the Holy Spirit Church museum and the Old Village museum in the Kolochava municipality and the Flower of Polonyna health resort in the Poliana municipality.
Developing a mountain municipality or how to use any opportunity to your advantage
The Kolochava municipality has had some success with attracting funds from international partners. According to Pavlo Lohvinov, the municipality is an example of how to achieve economic development using project management and international cooperation without any big companies generating budget revenue.
The head of the municipality, Vasyl Khudynets, shared with the guests successful cases of attracting grant funds and using historical and cultural heritage as a tool for the economic development of the municipality and talked about the tools for establishing international cooperation.
“When the municipality lacks grant experience, it is important to participate in any projects, to learn and gain practical experience. Once you already have a good grant history, you can choose projects that are interesting for you. It is also critical to implement the planned activities efficiently and report on time. And most importantly, not every application will win. Statistically, it’s 1 out of 10, which is why you have to be persistent,” said the village head.
According to him, they managed to implement projects with a total cost of over UAH 40 million in the last seven years. There is no separate unit for this activity, and each employee knows how to write projects.
“The municipality is focused on project management,” was how its guests described it.
Relocated businesses and empathy
During the full-scale invasion, the municipalities of the Zakarpattia Oblast have hosted many a company from the war-affected territories. It has been an opportunity to develop the economy, support IDPs, effectively use existing communications and unused infrastructure of the former factories and create additional jobs. The urban municipality of Perechyn presented some practical cases.
The participants learned about the company from Bucha, which relocated three times before choosing the Perechyn municipality. It moved into the former juice factory. Entrepreneurs gradually relocated the equipment, filled the workshops and tidied the site. They also helped to equip the premises and the territory of the camp hosting displaced families in the municipality.
According to Ivan Pohorilyak, head of the Perechyn municipality, there are many advantages of business relocation: personal income tax, jobs, an innovative approach to business. In addition, the presence of such a company in the municipality attracts other businesses, as well as investors.
Mr Pohorilyak names personal connections and established business contacts as the things that work.
“The key is empathy towards people,” he emphasised.
Relocating businesses, especially those with large industrial capacities, requires the municipality to understand their needs. For instance, the Perechyn municipality is working on changes to the development strategy, taking into account new economic opportunities and prospects. There are plans to produce a comprehensive spatial development plan, construction of a bypass road, creation of new and reconstruction of existing social infrastructure. Ivan Pohorilyak said that with the outset of the great war, many mothers and children had left the municipality abroad, but the number of residents did not decrease due to the IDPs.
The representative of the Skoryky municipality, Ternopil Oblast, Olha Rudkovska, noted:
“I do appreciate an opportunity to participate in the study visit, as this is my first experience of that. I’m glad that we were hosted by municipalities similar to ours. It was compelling to learn about their experiences in adjusting to writing and implementing projects, searching for partners among municipalities of EU countries. We are planning to create a project manager position.”
Anatolii Lushchak, head of Lysets municipality from Ivano-Frankivsk region, shared his impressions:
“The most important thing for municipal development is communication and sharing experiences. My colleagues and I talked a lot about work, measures and methods that affect local economic development. We were stunned by the practices of cross-border cooperation shared by municipalities of the Zakarpattia Oblast. I am considering the possibilities of partnership with the municipalities that hosted us.”