Representatives of the Slavuta municipality, Khmelnytskyi region, paid a study visit to Lubartów (Republic of Poland) on August 27-29, 2024. The visit was organized by the Association of Ukrainian Cities.

The delegation of the Association of Ukrainian Cities included:

Vasyl Sydor, Slavuta City Mayor,

Yevhenii Levunets, Head of the Slavuta Water Supply and Sewerage Department,

Olha Rubchak, Expert of the Center for Development and Projects Implementation of the Association of Ukrainian Cities.

In Lubartów City Hall, Vasyl Sydor expressed sincere gratitude to Polish friends for the assistance provided since the beginning of the full-scale war.

"Our visit to the city of Lubartów was an important step in exchanging experiences in the field of energy efficiency and renewable energy sources.  We had the opportunity to see with our own eyes how successfully innovative projects are implemented, which not only reduce dependence on traditional energy resources, but also contribute to the environmental preservation," said Vasyl Sydor.

In addition, Slavuta City Mayor noted that his Polish colleagues have developed considerable experience in cooperation with international funds regarding the financing of large-scale projects for the development of the city's communal infrastructure. Therefore, they provided specific recommendations on establishing mechanisms for interaction with donor organizations.  The plan is to involve both state institutions, and local businesses, and every resident who wants to contribute to sustainable economic development at the local level.

The acquired knowledge and practical advice provide the Slavuta municipality with more opportunities to address the issue of energy sustainability and independence. The parties have formed a joint action plan, the implementation of which will strengthen municipalities, said the Mayor of Slavuta.

"I would also like to express my sincere gratitude for the warm welcome and rich business programme to Mr. Krzysztof Paśnik, Burgomaster of Lubartów, as well as to the organizers of the visit – the Association of Ukrainian Cities and the Association of Polish Cities", Vasyl Sydor emphasized.

Krzysztof Paśnik, Lubartów City Mayor, welcomed Ukrainian delegation and expressed his readiness to expand the partnership between Lubartów and Slavuta.

"Slavuta municipality is our true friend and partner. We are open to joint work aimed at strengthening our municipalities. Our previous cooperation was aimed at the implementation of cultural and educational plans. However, now, in wartime, we understand that addressing projects for the restoration and modernization of Ukrainian critical infrastructure objects has become a top priority.  We have significant experience in writing applications and implementing projects and use tools for working with grant opportunities from international funds and financial institutions for the development of city communal infrastructure. We are ready to share these developments," emphasized Krzysztof Paśnik.

Yevhenii Levunets spoke about the peculiarities of the city of Slavuta, which is located 10 km from the Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plant. In peacetime, this is an advantage, but after the start of a full-scale war, the nuclear power plant became a target for bombing. As a result, there were periods when the municipality was without electricity for 16-18 hours a day. Therefore, introducing energy independence measures, especially at critical infrastructure enterprises, and implementing energy-saving and energy-efficient technologies are among the top priorities that need to be addressed.

"Our Polish colleagues provided us with detailed information about the operation of photovoltaic installations and heating systems. During our visit to the municipal heat and power company INTERDUO, local experts not only gave practical recommendations but also provided a preliminary estimate for the installation of renewable energy sources (solar panels) in our municipality. 

Studying the organizational principles and technological features of the local water treatment facilities was useful and informative," said Yevhenii Levunets.

Piotr Turowski, Head of the Department of Development Strategy and External Funds, presented the industrial potential of Lubartów and introduced the work of the city's Department of Development Strategy and External Funds. He specifically focused on the peculiarities of energy independence projects that were implemented in the city.

Urszula Bednarczyk, Director of the Lubartów Cultural Center, spoke about the municipality's cultural policies. She suggested organizing an online chess tournament for children and possibly one between the mayors of the cities, as well as developing joint projects for youth exchange.

Based on the results of the meeting, a joint action plan was developed:

- deepening skills and knowledge in the field of planning and developing projects with a focus on the reconstruction of the infrastructure of Ukrainian municipalities;

- strengthening of partnership and mutual relations between Ukrainian and Polish local self-government bodies based on shared experience;

- use of photovoltaic energy to provide heat supply to communal facilities and critical infrastructure facilities;

- development of youth exchanges;

- organizing joint cultural, educational, and sporting events.

The exchange of experience between Ukrainian and Polish municipalities, as well as the development of partnership relations, is systematic: 

On July 12, 2024, a bilateral online meeting took place between representatives of the Slavuta city municipality, Khmelnytskyi region, and the municipality of Lubartów (Republic of Poland), during which the parties agreed to establish an international intermunicipal partnership and cooperation for the reconstruction and development of Ukrainian municipalities, as well as study visits to partner municipalities.

The visit was organized by the Association of Ukrainian Cities within the framework of the "Promoting comprehensive development of municipalities through analytics, dialogue and international cooperation" Project, which is implemented with the support of the Programme "ULEAD with Europe".

To read the Ukrainian version of the article, please click the link.