In November 2016, representatives of PLEDDG partner cities and regional administrations of of Vinnytsia, Zaporizhia, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Poltava oblasts had an opportunity to take part in study tours to Poland.
Polish experience of implementing self-government reforms is of great value to Ukraine, as after the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe both Poland and Ukraine started pursueing democratic reforms. Polish government succeeded in a radical reshaping of the political and social-economic structure of the country, which resulted in Poland becoming one of the most developed and economically successful post-communist countries. One of the key mechanisms of Poland’s economic success was its local self-government reform, in particular the delegation of more powers to local government within large-scale decentralization.
The purpose of the PLEDDG-organized study tour to Poland, which was made possible thanks to support from PL Solidarity Fund, was to learn from Polish experience of self-government reforms. In the course of a 5-day visit to Polish cities, Ukrainian delegates met with representatives of Polish local self-governments and local experts. They discussed the rule of law, participatory budgeting process, strategic planning, local economic development funding, creation of a healthy business environment, SME support, investments attraction, etc. Also, the delegates met with Mr.Jerzy Stępień, a Polish politician, public activist, scientist and one of the ideologists of local self-government reform in Poland, who greatly contributed to the post-communist transformation of Polish government.
The study tours to Poland allowed the representatives of PLEDDG partner cities to better understand the reform process as well as to define the tools for reform that can be adopted and applied in Ukraine.
