23. 11. 2023 | PR, Regional cooperation, Slovenian Development Assistance, U-LEAD: with Europe
A signing of a Cooperation Agreement between Municipality Domžale (Slovenia) and City of Hnivan (Ukraine) concludes a successful first three-week mentorship visit under the auspices of the project ‘Post-conflict reconstruction in Ukraine’.
The solemn signing of the Cooperation Agreement at the closing ceremony of the mentorship visit was initiated by Mr Kuleshov, PhD, Mayor of the City of Hnivan and Ms Renata Kosec, M.SC, Mayor of Domžale and concludes the first three-week mentorship visit, focusing on sharing good practices on the civil protection system and project management. Cooperation agreement marks the first milestone of the partnership between Domžale and Hnivan, which began with this project and will continue based on the developed project concept in the field of strengthening the resilience of the municipality of Hnivan against natural and human-caused disasters with the invaluable contribution of good practices and knowledge from the Municipality of Domžale.
Mr Vitalii Mazur, Deputy Mayor of the City of Hnivan and Ms Ivanna Kuzminska, Specialist of the Department of Urban Planning and Architecture of the Hnivan City Council, were the mentees joining the three-week mentorship in Slovenia, mentored by Domžale mentors Mr Peter Gubanc, Head of Property Matters Department and Deputy Chief of Civil Protection at Domžale Municipality and Mr Aljoša Repanšek of the Public Utilities Department and member of the municipal headquarters civil protection.
In the first week, mentees focused their attention on the basics of project management, project writing and project funding and began preparing a frame for two projects they wish to implement in Hnivan with the help of expert Mr Klemen Srna and partners in Domžale. The topics of the second week focused on establishing a strong civil protection system in a hromada – with Domžale being a very positive example of the system running in practice. Mr Mazur and Ms Kuzminska first met with a representative of the Administration for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief of Slovenia, Ms Dobnik Jeraj, who presented the civil protection system on the national level. Representatives of Domžale Civil Protection presented their work in theory and practice, with the mentees meeting several stakeholders involved in running the civil protection system in Domžale (firefighters, voluntary fire brigades, cave rescue service, radio club Domžale, K9 rescue, Red Cross Domžale, scouts, first aid team and more). The second week also offered an opportunity for a visit to the central wastewater treatment plant Domžale-Kamnik, which was one of the additional topics of interest for the Ukrainian guests – Ukraine adopted a law on waste management in July 2023, which complies with EU waste management regulations, but the recycling and waste management system in Ukraine is still in its early stages with about 10% of the waste being recycled, so a visit to a wastewater and waste management facility, co-funded by EU funds, was an important point in the mentorship programme. Ukrainian mentees expressed their admiration for the working of the civil protection system as it involves many stakeholders but is still extremely reactive in all crises. Mentees also experienced one example in practice – a fire in a high-rise building, where they saw the system working in practice.
The third week focused on the topics of local administration related to the EU enlargement process, where the Mayor of Domžale, Ms Kosec, presented the important topic of transparency, integrity and tackling corruption at the municipal level. Additionally, representatives of Domžale municipality presented their experience and best practices in project preparation and cooperation. The municipality of Hnivan showed a positive attitude towards further development and capacity building in the field of relevant processes related to the processes of adaptation to EU standards during the accession process of Ukraine. The third week was also focused on drafting written tools with support from CEP Senior Advisor, Ms Jelka Klemenc, in creating practical and actionable plans for applying the adapted good practices in Ukraine. On Tuesday, the mentees were joined by an evaluation expert, Mr Gorazd Jenko, who presented project applications from the perspective of project evaluators, sharing insightful details on what evaluators focus on when reading project applications, how to ensure project sustainability and what could be the deal breakers when writing a project proposal.
The mentorship concluded on Wednesday with an internal debrief between mentors and mentees focused on the planning of future activities between the municipalities, followed by a closing event, where the Mayor of Domžale, Ms Kosec, and Mayor of Hnivan, Mr Kolushov, signed the Cooperation agreement – the first of its kind in this project cycle, signifying the importance of the project for Ukrainian and Slovenian side. Following the signing was the presentation from the mentees, who presented two project plans prepared with the help of new knowledge gained in the three weeks of activities, which will be elaborated and finalized during the project until the end of 2024; both are projects of cross-border cooperation between municipalities in accordance with the objectives of the project. Joining the closing event were also the representative of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Ms Nataša Kos, Minister Plenipotentiary, and representative of the Embassy of Ukraine in Slovenia, Ms Natalia Markevych Pritsa, Deputy Head of Mission, who shared their thoughts on the activities already done and congratulated Domžale and Hnivan of the formal signing of the Cooperation agreement.
Photos of the visit can be found in the Flickr gallery below:
The ‘Post-conflict reconstruction in Ukraine’ project is funded by the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs through the Slovenian Aid and Partnerships and implemented in partnership with ‘U-LEAD with Europe’. U-LEAD with Europe programme is a partnership of the Ukrainian government and the European Union, and its member states Germany, Poland, Denmark and Slovenia, to support the establishment of multi-level governance that is transparent, accountable and responsive to the needs of the population of Ukraine.
9. 11. 2023 | PR, Regional cooperation, Slovenian Development Assistance, U-LEAD: with Europe
On November 7th, we began the first three-week mentorship visits under the auspices of the project ‘Post-conflict reconstruction in Ukraine’ at the municipality of Domžale.
The ‘Post-conflict reconstruction in Ukraine’ project is funded by the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs through the Slovenian Aid and Partnerships and implemented in partnership with ‘U-LEAD with Europe’ and aims to provide targeted transfer of knowledge and experience on the part of Slovenian municipalities and build the institutional capacities of Ukrainian municipalities, as well as establish arrangements for fostering cross-border partnerships between Slovenian and Ukrainian municipalities.
The first mentorship is taking place in the Slovenian municipality Domžale, which currently hosts two mentees from the Ukrainian municipality Hnivan. The programme of the mentorship is rich, encapsulating the needs mentioned by the Hnivan municipality (strengthening civil protection service at the municipality) as well as addressing topics crucial for further development of the municipality, such as project management, project writing and topics related to EU enlargement process on the local level. The municipality of Domžale, with its rich experience in civil protection, offers great knowledge not only through the presentation of good practices but also through site visits of stakeholders involved in the civil protection system of the municipality. Another expressed interest of Hnivan municipality was the waste management system of municipality Domžale, so the first site visit of the mentorship focused on the work of the central wastewater treatment plant Domžale-Kamnik, the history of the construction of the wastewater treatment plant, funding of the construction, as well as the upgrade of the plant, pointing out all the advantages for the people, region and environment.
In the next weeks, representatives of Hnivan hromada will learn more about project planning, preparation and management, project funding, civil protection and emergency preparedness and resilience building through interactive workshops and site visits.
Photos of the visit can be seen below:
The ‘Post-conflict reconstruction in Ukraine’ project is funded by the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs through the Slovenian Aid and Partnerships and implemented in partnership with ‘U-LEAD with Europe’. U-LEAD with Europe programme is a partnership of the Ukrainian government and the European Union, and its member states Germany, Sweden, Poland, Denmark, Estonia and Slovenia to support the establishment of multi-level governance that is transparent, accountable and responsive to the needs of the population of Ukraine.
26. 10. 2023 | Decentralisation, local self-government, PR, Regional cooperation, Slovenian Development Assistance, U-LEAD: with Europe
At the 12th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region held under the Slovenian Presidency, CEP’s Executive Director, Ms Nina Čepon, contributed to the panel discussion titled ”Bottom-up recovery and transformation of Ukraine–Supporting Ukraine and Moldova on their way to the EU” on the 24th of October.
She shed light on CEP’s impactful collaboration with Ukrainian municipalities, a process initiated back in 2018 under the scope of the Programme ‘U-LEAD with Europe’ implemented by the German organization GIZ in Ukraine. The dedication to enhancing Ukrainian municipalities continues through our ongoing development project titled ‘Post-Conflict Reconstruction in Ukraine’ funded by the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and implemented in partnership with ‘U-LEAD with Europe’.
This project remains committed to transferring knowledge tailored to specific needs and providing sustainable assistance to Ukrainian municipalities as they advance in their development, modernization and contribute to the Ukrainian path toward EU membership while dealing with the everyday challenges of wartime. Activities are focusing on topics such as green transition, civil protection and resilience, economic development, anti-corruption and transparency in local governance, and deliver an important skillset to raise their absorption capacities in terms of donor engagement, namely those of efficient planning, project appraisal and obtainment of external funding.
Čepon emphasised that Ukrainian municipalities are set to play a pivotal role in post-conflict reconstruction and development in Ukraine as they are forward-looking, and they strive toward economic development and other objectives despite being faced with their complex everyday circumstances at this time. Slovenia’s wealth of experience in modernization and the EU accession process promises to bring significant, concrete value.
3. 10. 2023 | PR, Regional cooperation, Slovenian Development Assistance, U-LEAD: with Europe
A successful consultation meeting on Slovenian-Ukrainian cooperation and aid to Ukraine in post-conflict reconstruction and modernization was held yesterday at Jable Castle.
The event, organised with the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and the Association of Municipalities and Towns of Slovenia (SOS), followed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Republic of Slovenia and U-LEAD with Europe Programme, and was intended to analyze the achievements to date, good practices in the cooperation projects of Slovenian municipalities with Ukraine to date, and a look into the future of cooperation between Slovenia and Ukraine in the field of post-conflict reconstruction and modernization. i.e. current needs, challenges and our tasks in advance.
Joining us were the Mayor of Domžale, mag. Renata Kosec, Mayor of Hrastnik, Mr Marko Funkl, Mayor of Logatec, Mr Berto Menard, Mayor of Idrija, Mr Tomaž Vencelj, Mayor of Kočevje, Dr Vladimir Prebilič, and Mayor of Lenart, Mr Janez Kramberger. We were delighted to welcome the delegation from the Ukrainian municipality Bucha, with the First Secretary of the Bucha City Council, Mr Taras Sharapivsky and the Head of International Relations of the City Council, Ms Viktoriya Danilova.
The discussions touched upon the Slovenian-Ukrainian cooperation of municipalities within the U-LEAD with Europe initiative “Bridges of Trust” and the CEP-led project Post-conflict reconstruction in Ukraine, financed by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia. Both projects aim to improve the institutional capacity of Ukrainian communities Bibrka, Bucha, Drohobych, Hnivan, Krynychansk, Pereščepensk and Polyana, in the spheres of reconstruction and local development, as well as in terms of nationwide efforts for accession to the EU. The mentorship program will be implemented by the Slovenian municipalities of Domžale, Hrastnik, Idrija, Lenart, Logatec, Kočevje and Puconci with the assistance of Slovenian experts.
During the event, the municipality of Kočevje signed a cooperation agreement with the city of Bucha with the intention of deepening cooperation in various fields, business relationships in the field of high-technology development.
Bucha’s representatives are continuing their visit to Kočevje today, where they met with representatives of the Japanese company Yaskawa and representatives of the Kočevje business area. They will also join the festivities on the municipal holiday.
The project and the event are funded by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovenia through development cooperation funds.
30. 8. 2023 | local self-government, PR, Slovenian Development Assistance, U-LEAD: with Europe
With the first online meeting, cooperation between the municipalities of Zavodska and Domžale officially began within the framework of the development project of the Republic of Slovenia, “Reconstruction of Ukraine”, which is supported by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia in cooperation with ‘U-LEAD with Europe’.
Kliknite tukaj za branje prispevka v slovenskem jeziku.
On 30 August 2023, the Centre for European Perspective held the first online working meeting between the mayor of the Ukrainian municipality of Zavodske and the mayor of the Slovenian municipality of Domžale, which officially started their cooperation in the project “Reconstruction of Ukraine”. In the next 18 months, a mentoring program will be implemented in Slovenia, which will strengthen the capacities of the municipality of Zavodske in the field of post-conflict reconstruction and modernization and contribute to other goals of long-term international cooperation. The targeted transfer of knowledge and experience during the project is guided by the specific needs of the municipality of Zavodske, which is currently facing complex challenges both in the provision of services that its residents rely on the most in this time of crisis as well as challenges in the field of local development and modernization.
The three-week mentoring visit to Domžale will take place in October 2023. It will transfer helpful experience and knowledge in establishing an effective civil protection system and responding to natural and other disasters, which, according to the city council secretary, are the Institute’s priority topics. Competent Slovenian state institutions will transfer key knowledge and experience to the mentees in planning and management at the national (intersectoral) level and the role of the local level. The Civil Defense of the Municipality of Domžale, fire brigades and other local organizations will also contribute, and they will also show the mentees the practical aspects of their work, including recent experiences of responding to devastating floods. The Municipality of Zavodske, with the support of Slovenian experts, will prepare plans or strategic documents that will contribute to more efficient planning and acquisition of financial resources in relevant areas.
Background
From 2023 to 2024, the Center for the European Perspective (CEP) will implement the project “Post-conflict Reconstruction in Ukraine”, financed by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia. The project is taking place in cooperation with ‘U-LEAD with Europe’, implemented in Ukraine by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit – GIZ. The project will enable the contribution of five Slovenian municipalities (Domžale, Hrastnik, Idrija, Kočevje and Murska Sobota) in the role of mentors to the partner municipalities of Bucha, Drohobych, Zavodske, Tiachiv and Vilnohirsk.
The mentoring municipalities will help the target municipalities (‘hromadam’) in Ukraine to face those challenges of early reconstruction and modernization, which will be easier to overcome in this kind of cooperation and will help to strengthen their capacities. Thus, the mentoring program for key representatives of the mentioned target municipalities, who will be visiting the mentoring municipalities in the Republic of Slovenia during this time, will contain the transfer of knowledge, experience and good practices, including those related to the technical requirements of the process of Ukraine’s approximation to the EU. By the end of 2024, the target municipalities will, with the help of the project’s support, also develop strategic tools for planning reconstruction and modernization, planning resources and obtaining financial resources adapted to the needs of each municipality.
Slovenia’s key contribution will have a positive impact on the lives of people in Ukrainian communities and their regions by helping to strengthen local capacities, which are most relied on in this time of crisis, in a sustainable manner and with appropriate placement, among other ongoing early recovery measures in Ukraine its inhabitants. While cooperation between some Slovenian and Ukrainian municipalities has already been established, the project will enable new opportunities for partnerships and further cooperation between Slovenia and Ukraine – both in post-conflict reconstruction and in meeting the requirements on its path to EU membership.
12. 11. 2019 | Decentralisation, Economic development, local self-government, PR, Slovenian Development Assistance, U-LEAD: with Europe
The weather in Slovenia might not be the best these days, but our disposition sure is sunny, as Centre for European Perspective is again hosting International Study Visit within the U-LEAD programme. The event began on Tuesday, 12th of November and will continue throughout the week.
The topic of the visit is “Cooperation between Business and Local Communities”.
There are currently 19 local officials from Ukraine taking part in the study visit with the vast majority being heads of amalgamated hromadas.
The study visit began with a welcome speech by Ms Katja Geršak, Executive Director of CEP who warmly welcomed the participants and presented CEP team and the work of CEP in the U-LEAD project. She was followed by Ms Berta Mrak, the Head of the Department for Eastern Europe, South Caucasus, Central Asia and the Arctic at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Slovenia, who welcomed the group from Ukraine and gave an insight into work the Ministry does with Ukraine, bilateral relations between countries and the high-level visit from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia that occured last week in Kiev. She was followed Mr Andrii Borodenkov, First Secretary from the Embassy of Ukraine in Ljubljana, who expressed his pleasure at being able to greet the study group from Ukraine on a U-LEAD study visit to Slovenia. He shared a few examples of the work the Embassy does, spoke about especially about the cultural cooperation of the countries and examples of Slovenian and Ukrainian economic cooperation.
After a short warm-up session and introduction of participants held by Ms Meliha Muherina, Project Manager at CEP, the theoretical part of the visit begun.
First lecture of the day was given by Mr Gorazd Orešek, from SPIRIT Slovenia – Public Agency for Entrepreneurship, Internationalization, Foreign Investments and Technology, who spoke about SME support in Slovenia, attracting investments to the local environment and establishing conditions conducive for entrepreneurship in a local community, especially when speaking about industrial zones.
The following lecture was given by Ms Nina Seljak, from the Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy, who spoke about the results and good practices from cross-border projects Slovenia is involved in and how this practices could be transferred to Ukrainan local communities, when speaking about cross-border connections and projects.
The last speaker of the day was Ms Larisa Vodeb, who focused on the work of Chamber of Craft & Small Business of Slovenia and Enterprise Europe Network.
With the theoretical part done, we will move to ‘the field’ in the following days.
On Wednesday, the participants will visit the Municipality of Tolmin, where they will hear more about the development of the municipality, the influence large events and music festivals have on local community and historical ties between Slovenia and Ukraine. The historical ties will alse be explored with a visit to Javorca memorial church and First World War Museum in Kobarid. They will also meet with the Mayor of Tolmin, Mr Brežan.
Thursday will offer a brief respite from driving as we stay in the municipality of Brda. On a visit to the Municipality, the participants will hear more about the development of the municipality, local projects and development of the cross-border cooperation in the region. The participants will also have the opportunity to visit the cooperative Klet Goriška Brda, where we will be a bit spoiled with a presentation of the work and a degustation. On Friday, participants make a trip across Vipavska dolina and towards Kras to the Škocjan Caves Park, where they will be met with the Director of the UNESCO protected nature park, Mr Stojan Ščuka. The visit to the Park will end with the visit to the Škocjan Cave and certificate ceremony.
The visit is taking place in the framework of the multi-donor action U-LEAD established by the European Union and its Member States Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Poland and Sweden. It aims at contributing to the establishment of multilevel governance that is transparent, accountable and responsive to the needs of the population of Ukraine. U-LEAD with Europe is supporting the Ukrainian Government, represented by the Ministry of Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine (MinRegion) as a key political partner in the coordination and implementation of the decentralization and regional policy reforms. The Program carries out demand-driven and targeted trainings for officials at the national, regional and local level.
