A delegation from the Ukrainian city of Trostyanets is visiting Valmiera region on April 21 and 22. This visit not only strengthens our bonds of friendship, but also adds new dynamics to our partnership, emphasizing in-depth exchange of experiences and adoption of best solutions in municipal governance.
The delegation is led by the Mayor of Trostjanets, Yuriy Bova, who is visiting Valmiera for the fourth time. This time, the mayor is accompanied by a large team of industry specialists to obtain practical solutions for the development of infrastructure and services: Liliya Hontara, General Director of the City Hospital; Nataliya Stepanova, Head of the Economic Development, Investment Attraction and International Cooperation Department; Yulia Olenchenko, Acting Head of the Culture, Tourism, Youth, Sports and Cultural Heritage Protection Department; Alina Tolstykh, Acting Director of the Museum and Exhibition Center; Vitaly Cherkashin, Director of the Sports Academy Sports Complex; Alyona Korniyenko, Director of the Youth Center Korobka; Maria Shelest, Project Management and International Cooperation Specialist; and Oleksandr Horuzhenko, Administration Specialist.
This cooperation is based on a close and historical connection that was strengthened in the spring of 2022, when Valmiera region was among the first to provide humanitarian assistance to Trostjanets immediately after the city’s de-occupation. Since then, support has grown and professionally improved, including both technical assistance and the exchange of medical experience in 2023. One of the central issues of the meeting is the role of the municipality in crisis management and civil protection. Jurijs Bova shared extremely valuable and poignant experience of restoring the city’s work and infrastructure after the occupation.
The example of Trostjanets is unique – in conditions of constant air attacks, all municipal institutions, utility companies, schools, kindergartens, a museum, libraries and a sports center continue to operate in the city, and private production and trade companies operate. The municipality, entrepreneurs and society have learned to live in war conditions, being able to accurately recognize the level of threat, which allows maintaining a relatively normal rhythm of life and public life.
The example of Trostjanets proves that it is the active policy of the municipality and the ability to instill trust in local authorities among residents that is the basic condition for the sustainability of society. In the city, which is located only 35 km from the border with Russia, 95% of the residents who lived here before the war have remained. The total number of residents even exceeds the time before the war, as the city has provided shelter to several thousand refugees. This is a direct result of the municipality’s ability to maintain a sense of security and ensure the availability of services even in war conditions. This is a very valuable experience for improving the civil protection system of Valmiera region, learning from colleagues who practically implement the preservation of the city’s viability on a daily basis.
In turn, guests from Trostjaņec got to know the experience of Valmiera region in infrastructure management in depth, visiting the Rehabilitation Department of Vidzeme Hospital, Jānis Daliņš Stadium, Valmiera Olympic Center and the service hotel “Auseklis”. Specialists assessed not only the technical support of sports facilities, but also their management models, additionally visiting the recently opened Sports and Active Recreation Park “Mežs”, which serves as an example of a high-quality and inclusive urban environment. Guests also visited the Valmiera Theater, Museum and Integrated Library, studying the adaptation of cultural institutions to modern requirements, and got to know the offer of the Zilākalns Observation Tower.
While learning about the experience in business development, Ukrainian specialists visited Valmiera industrial parks. The main attention was paid to issues of attracting investment and preparing production infrastructure, which is one of the basic conditions for restarting the economic life of Trostyanets and restoring the well-being of the population.
While visiting the youth center “Vinda”, the guests learned about the experience of the Valmiera region in working with youth and the role of interest education, which is an important aspect when thinking about attracting young people to the renovated Ukrainian city.
At the end of the visit, representatives of both municipalities concluded that such direct cooperation between industry specialists is the most effective form of support that Valmiera region can provide to Trostjanec in its renovation process.
The visit of the Trostyanets delegation was coordinated by the representative office of the Association of Small Towns of Ukraine in Latvia and its head Oksana Kyrylyuk. The association provides targeted support for improving the work of Ukrainian municipalities in accordance with European standards, which is an essential prerequisite for the country’s successful integration into the European Union.
A working visit of the delegation of the city of Trostyanets to the city of Valmiera (Republic of Latvia) took place, organized with the assistance of the Representative Office of the Association of Small Towns of Ukraine in Latvia.
The delegation was led by the mayor of Trostyanets city hromada, Yuriy Bova.
The visit is part of the AMMU’s systematic work to develop international partnerships and support the European integration processes of Ukrainian communities.
We would like to remind you that in 2023, the Association of Small Towns of Ukraine opened its official Representative Office in Latvia, headed by Oksana Kyryliuk. One of the key tasks of the Representative Office is to promote the exchange of experience between municipalities, develop intermunicipal cooperation, and support the integration of Ukrainian communities into the European space.
Purpose and key areas of the visit
The main purpose of the visit of the Trostyanets Community delegation is to establish partnership relations with the Valmiera Municipality and study the practical experience of local government functioning in the countries of the European Union.
The visit includes:
- establishing partnerships and exchanging best practices in local government;
- studying the experience of implementing international projects;
- familiarization with the development of the spheres of culture and sports;
- analysis of approaches to the formation of investment policy and strategic planning of territorial development.
International cooperation as a tool for community development
Such visits are an important element of strengthening the institutional capacity of Ukrainian communities, as they allow them to adopt effective European practices, adapt them to Ukrainian realities, and implement modern approaches to governance.
AMMU consistently supports such initiatives, creating opportunities for direct dialogue between communities in Ukraine and EU countries.
Thanks to partners
The Association of Small Towns of Ukraine expresses its sincere gratitude to the Municipality of Valmiera (Valmieras novads) and all structural divisions for their openness, high level of organization, professional cooperation and support in conducting the visit.
CONTACTS
Address: Lāčplēša Street 2, Valmiera, Valmiera County, LV- 4201
