Brussels, Chișinău, Kyiv, 30 March 2023 – the European Commission and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) announced the selection of 18 municipalities from Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova under the Call for Local Demonstration Initiatives as part of the EU Response and Renewal Grant Programme aimed at revitalising and supporting the recovery of local economies and communities impacted by Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Gérald Audaz, Team Leader for Economic Development, Connectivity and the Green Transition in Eastern Partnership countries at DG NEAR, European Commission, said, "The European Union’s support to Ukraine and Moldova is unwavering. In both countries, local authorities have deployed relentless efforts to respond to emergencies, protect citizens but also to actively lay the groundwork for the reconstruction of a vibrant economy. With the new EU Response and Renewal Grant Programme under Mayors for Economic Growth, we aim to support municipalities in their endeavour at laying strong and sustainable foundations for economic recovery."

Lejla Sadiku, Knowledge and Innovation Team Leader at the UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub, said, "The Call for Local Demonstration Initiatives showcased that a significant number of municipalities are ready to pave the path toward a resilient future by using emerging opportunities and new approaches."

Seven cities were selected under Lot 1 – Response & Immediate Recovery, namely Chortkiv (Ternopil Oblast), Hlukhiv (Sumy Oblast), Kamianets-Podilskyi (Khmelnytskyi Oblast), Slavuta (Khmelnytskyi Oblast), Velyka Oleksandrivka (Kherson Oblast) from Ukraine, and Carpineni and Volintiri from Moldova.

As part of Lot 2 – Renewal & Anticipation, the following 11 cities were selected: Bucha (Kyiv Oblast), Chernivtsi, Kharkiv, Nizhyn (Chernihiv Oblast), Nova Kakhovka (Kherson Oblast), Slavutych (Kyiv Oblast), Velyki Luchky (Zakarpattia Oblast), Voznesensk (Mykolaiv Oblast) from Ukraine, and Copceac, Cimislia, and Drochia from Moldova.

Background:

The financial increase of EUR 1.8 million, under the auspices of the M4EG Facility network, provides direct support to the selected cities in Ukraine and Moldova. 70 percent of the grant component will be available to Ukrainian local authorities and 30 percent to local authorities in Moldova. The funding has two lots: 1) Response & Immediate Recovery, aimed at supporting the immediate needs of people affected by the war, and 2) Renewal & Anticipation, aimed at supporting local authorities to get on track with their sustainable development pathways with a funding range EUR 30,000-50,000 (no co-financing required) and EUR 70,000 – 100,000 (at least 20% co-financing required) respectively.

The M4EG Facility draws on the Mayors for Economic Growth Initiative, launched and funded by the European Union (EU) in 2017. Since 2021, the EU-funded M4EG Facility has been managed by UNDP in close cooperation with the EU, local authorities and a range of partners.

For media inquiries:

The European Commission/DG NEAR: 

Mr. Thibault Charlet, Programme Manager, Digital and Local Economic Development, DG NEAR Unit C1, thibault.charlet@ec.europa.eu

UNDP: 

Mr. Anton Sydorenko, M4EG Facility Communications Lead, anton.sydorenko@undp.org