Decentralisation: Who Does What? Understanding Local Governance to Strengthen Cooperation
On Tuesday, 27 January, the 4th MistoMatch webinar brought together participants to explore how local governments operate in France and Ukraine.
During the session, French and Ukrainian experts presented and compared the organisation of local authorities in both countries, providing participants with a clearer understanding of their respective responsibilities, governance models and institutional frameworks.
The webinar opened with a focus on decentralisation, a cornerstone of local self-government in both France and Ukraine.
On the Ukrainian side, we were honoured to begin the session with opening remarks from Mykola Rubchak, Director of the Department of Multi-Level Governance at the Ministry of Community and Territorial Development of Ukraine.
Vitaliy Bezgin, Member of the Ukrainian Parliament, delivered a clear and practical overview of Ukraine’s decentralisation reforms, to which he has personally contributed.
The session continued with a comparative analysis of French and Ukrainian local authorities, covering their responsibilities, governance structures, budgets and the equivalences between different levels of local government.
Finally, two mayors shared their practical experience of local governance:
- Bogdan Kelichavyi, Mayor of Kopychyntsi
- Dikran Zakeossian, Mayor of Moret-Loing-et-Orvanne
A sincere thank you to all our speakers for their valuable contributions, which made the discussions both practical and inspiring.
We would also like to thank all the participants, whose growing engagement continues to enrich these exchanges.
Our gratitude also goes to our partners — the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the Embassy of Ukraine in France, the Association of French Mayors and Presidents of Intermunicipalities (AMF), Expertise France in Ukraine, and Cities4Cities — for their continued support.
Save the date: 17 February
Next webinar: Urban Planning and the Energy Transition.
If your municipality is interested in taking part, please do not hesitate to contact us.
We look forward to welcoming you to the next session.
