European Mayors interested in Ukrainian communities’ security resilience experience – Vinnytsia Mayor
European Mayors are showing growing interest in Ukraine’s experience in building community security resilience, while Ukrainian cities need European expertise to prepare high-quality infrastructure projects that meet international standards.
This was stated by Mayor of Vinnytsia Serhii Morhunov in comments to an Ukrinform correspondent on the sidelines of the international Urban 7 Myors’ summit in Nancy.
“When mayors from Germany, Poland, and France visited us a couple of weeks ago, I was surprised that they started asking how our community operates in terms of security. German municipalities in particular were interested. They told us: ‘Please advise us on the first steps we should take,’” Morhunov said.
He noted that in many European countries, including Germany, governments are already requiring municipalities to develop so-called security resilience plans.
“They openly tell us that their governments require communities and municipalities to formulate security plans. This is an area where every Ukrainian community has something to share. Each community has its own specifics, and Vinnytsia has its own priorities. What is important is that this dialogue is very open, and we are ready to share our experience,” the Mayor said.
At the same time, Morhunov emphasized that participation by Ukrainian cities in such international gatherings is important not only for political declarations of support for Ukraine but, above all, for establishing practical contacts and gaining expertise.
“It is important for us to achieve concrete results in terms of project implementation or preparation for implementation. We are not even talking about money. We are talking about expertise itself, because preparing feasibility studies in line with European standards is one of their valuable skills. If we prepare them solely according to our own understanding, they may not be fully aligned with how international institutions assess projects. Everything must comply with international norms and standards,” Morhunov explained.
As an example, he cited the issue of water quality in Vinnytsia. According to the Mayor, the city needs to develop a comprehensive water strategy, determine measures related to rivers, water resources, and wastewater treatment facilities, and prepare high-quality documentation that can be clearly understood by international financial organizations.
“There are many Ukraine recovery programs at the government level. However, when projects are entered into the DREAM system or our public investment platform, they first need to be properly prepared. After that, countries and organizations can determine which projects interest them. We already have a successful example with our Swedish partners, who allocated around €1 million to study the reconstruction of wastewater treatment facilities and the construction of an energy complex. This work took more than a year, but now, with this well-prepared expertise in hand, we are engaging with various banks and financial institutions. We can already see a financial framework beginning to take shape,” Morhunov said.
At the same time, he noted that European procedures often move more slowly than Ukrainian communities would like.
“In Ukraine, we need everything done quickly. That is not how they operate, although we continue to ask. Our main message is this: if we do not create high-quality, comfortable communities in Ukraine after victory or the end of the war, Ukrainians will not return. And the longer it takes to create those conditions, the fewer Ukrainians will come back from Europe. That is why we do not have time to waste,” Morhunov concluded.
As reported by Ukrinform, Ukrainian Mayors and city administration representatives in France spoke about community resilience, the operation of critical infrastructure, and support for military personnel, veterans, internally displaced people, and civilians during Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.