Programme Administration at the Regional Level: Challenges and Opportunities for Ukraine in Territorial Development and Reconstruction. UIIP Research

Ukrainian Institute for International Politics has presented a new study, “Programme Administration at the Regional Level: Challenges and Opportunities for Ukraine in Territorial Development and Reconstruction.” This publication continues our analytical work in support of Ukraine’s EU accession process under Negotiating Chapter 22, building on our earlier study “State Fund for Regional Development 2025: Challenges and Opportunities.”

What are the underlying conditions? Ukraine is actively advancing on the path of European integration and reconstruction—processes that require establishing a transparent and efficient system for managing resources dedicated to territorial development. The European Commission emphasizes the importance of introducing multi-level governance, applying the principle of subsidiarity, and ensuring the meaningful involvement of regional stakeholders in decision-making.

In this study, we analysed the EU Structural Funds governance framework in line with European Commission regulations; examined best practices from 13 EU Member States in building regional programme management bodies; assessed Ukraine’s potential to introduce a regional programming model, taking into account the specifics of its administrative-territorial structure; and provided practical recommendations for the phased launch of pilot initiatives at oblast level.

This project was prepared with the support of the European Union and the International Renaissance Foundation within the framework of the joint initiative “Accession to the EU Together.” The views expressed in this publication are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the European Union or the International Renaissance Foundation.