What opportunities does the EU committee of the regions offer Ukrainian communities?

Strong regions make a strong Europe. This well-known principle captures the purpose of the European Union Committee of the Regions – an advisory body whose role is to ensure that the views of local and regional authorities influence decision-making by the EU’s key institutions.

Read more about the opportunities offered by the Committee of the Regions that Ukrainians in the column by Saodat Usmonova, an expert in institutional development and the European integration of communities: No presence in Brussels, no presence at all: why working with the EU committee of the regions matters for Ukrainian communities. 

The author stresses that the Committee offers Ukrainian cities, regions and their associations a space to organise the work of their representative offices.

According to her, all that is needed to gain access is to write to the president of the Committee of the Regions requesting office space and provide the contact details of a representative of the community.

Thus, the Committee of the Regions is an advisory body that provides a channel for influence.

Of course, simply being present in any institution does not automatically produce results. Everything depends on who makes use of the opportunity and what they have to offer.

The expert found that very few Ukrainian representative offices are registered in Brussels. Those with "live" contacts and identifiable representatives turned out to be cities that attract the most international assistance and where offices of international organisations are being opened.

"Such offices are mostly funded not by the community’s budget, but by grant programmes or businesses that have agreed to invest in their city’s presence, and possibly their own presence, in Europe. This is also an indication of a mayor’s ability to build partnerships with businesses in the interests of the community. Attracting investors is also one of the tasks of representative offices," writes the expert in institutional development and the European integration of communities.

She notes that in fifteen years of working with communities, she has seen three approaches that community leaders take to working with external opportunities.

The cautious type. Works according to instructions and waits for decisions from above. For this type of leader, an external channel is primarily a risk.

The pragmatic type. Calculates the benefits. Will go where the results are visible – a specific programme, a specific partner, specific funding. An advisory platform without direct funding seems like a waste of time.

The "own project" type. These leaders treat the development of their community and the search for partnerships and investors as their own project. They use any channel they can reach because they believe in the long-term value of such work. They see that building relationships and learning how decision-making mechanisms work is worthwhile, even if it is not formally part of their responsibilities.

Such a mayor knows the names of people in European networks and takes part in events.

For a leader with an "own project", it will provide what they lack most: an institutional framework for relationships that currently depend on their personal name.

"There are many events, and physically you cannot attend all of them, you cannot simply abandon your work in the community.

"That is why a permanent presence provides something that no single trip can: horizontal connections with people who prepare decisions, not only those who sign them. It provides an understanding of procedures, timelines and the stage at which a position can still be changed," explains Saodat Usmonova.

According to her, once again, it is a question of having the right team. Mayors most often appoint relevant specialists as advisers to lead on European integration.

Meanwhile, Ukraine is also gradually developing a framework for international intercity cooperation among communities.

"Communities that want to be noticed need to make themselves known before they are included somewhere or 'encouraged' to participate from above. Because this is not about participation in an advisory body, but about understanding and gaining access to decision-making processes. And this will matter regardless of whether there are bodies more influential than the Committee of the Regions," the expert concludes.