On May 20, 2025, Ukraine’s Vice Prime Minister for Recovery — Minister of Community and Territory Development Oleksii Kuleba signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with Katarzyna Pelczynska-Nalecz, the Minister of Development Funds and Regional Policy of the Republic of Poland.
The document marks a new stage in the strategic partnership between the two countries in the areas of regional development, decentralization, management of EU finances, and joint work on community security.
One of the key directions of the Memorandum is the transfer of Ukrainian experience to Polish partners. This concerns practical solutions developed by Ukraine during the war: how to protect civilians, how to quickly restore critical infrastructure, and how to ensure the resilience of regions despite daily threats.
In turn, the Polish side will provide Ukrainian partners with expert support in preparing for participation in European structural funds, particularly within Chapter 22 of the EU membership negotiation process. Poland has already gone through this path — effectively using EU funds for the development of its regions — and today shares this experience with Ukraine.
Other areas of cooperation include:
- Implementation of the best practices of the EU cohesion policy in Ukraine;
- Support for strategic planning at national, regional, and subregional levels;
- Development of a model for administering future European funds in Ukraine;
- Preparation of a new spatial statistics system (NUTS);
- Involvement of Polish business in reconstruction projects through economic missions and regional investments.
“This is a joint effort towards a safe and sustainable future for both countries. We are preparing for full integration into European regional development programs while supporting our neighbors with practical knowledge that has already proven effective under extremely difficult conditions,” said Oleksii Kuleba following the meeting.
The Memorandum will be valid until the end of 2030. Implementation of the agreements will be coordinated at the level of deputy ministers of both countries and the respective departments.
