A Special Event of International Importance: Serhii Morhunov Announces Opening of Vinnytsia Office in Brussels

The Vinnytsia Office has been opened in Brussels. This was made possible by establishing cooperation with the European Committee of the Regions. The official representation of our community in the international arena will open up more opportunities for the exchange of experience and new partnerships with foreign colleagues.

According to Vinnytsia Mayor Serhii Morhunov, the opening of the office in Brussels is a special international event that will bring Vinnytsia community closer to the European community and facilitate interaction with sister cities and partners.

"The official representation of our community in the European Committee of the Regions in Brussels will give us more opportunities to learn from the experience of foreign colleagues and be closer to grant projects and business processes. I think the whole world sees how determined Ukraine is to integrate into Europe. Vinnytsia, like every community, is making every effort to maintain stability during the war, develop and change for the better. We are actively establishing international relations and strengthening our economic potential. We expect that the Vinnytsia office in the EU will become a platform for new acquaintances and further development of our community," said the head of the community.

According to him, the office will be headed by Mariia Levanchuk, who will work directly with the Vinnytsia-based municipal enterprise "Institute for Urban Development" and the Department of Restoration and Development of Vinnytsia City Council. The city council is also beginning to form a community of ambassadors of our city around the world from among Vinnytsia residents who are currently living abroad. Victoriia Vdovychenko will represent the interests of our community in Italy and the UK. In addition, communication with Vinnytsia residents in the United States, Korea, Japan, Finland, and other countries is ongoing.

It is worth noting that Vinnytsia, as a community in Ukraine, is doing a lot to accelerate European integration in the horizontal plane. And the opening of Vinnytsia's representative office in the Belgian capital is another step towards rapprochement with foreign partners. In fact, other countries have opened similar offices in preparation for joining the EU.

According to Deputy Mayor Andrii Ocheretnyi, the opening of our representative office was attended by representatives of European institutions and our colleagues from EU member states, including France, the Czech Republic, Finland, Estonia, Italy, Poland, Romania, Germany, as well as a representative of the Holy See to the EU and many others.

The opening ceremony was attended by the Secretary General of the European Committee of the Regions Petr Blížkovský, as well as members of the ECR: Patrick Molinoz, Vice President of the French region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, Mayor of Gdańsk, Christophe Royon, Chairman of the Social Democrats, and Niina Ratilainen, President of the Greens. The ceremony was also attended by former MEP Rebecca Harms.

"Representatives of Ukraine in the EU were also present, including Deputy Head of the Mission of Ukraine to the EU Iryna Yefremova and Head of Kharkiv Regional Council Tetiana Yehorova-Lutsenko. The opening of the office became possible thanks to our partnership with the European Committee of the Regions. And we are very grateful for the support of its members," said Andrii Ocheretnyi. "Our community intends to develop and become an example to follow. We have the potential for this - this is what Europeans say about Vinnytsia. With external support, we will certainly be able to realize our plans."

On the eve of the opening of the Vinnytsia office, a delegation from Vinnytsia also attended the Cities and Regions for International Partnerships 2023: Localizing the Global Gateway forum in Brussels. The purpose of the forum was to establish partnerships with local and regional representatives of the European Union, Africa, and Latin America for further exchange of experience.

"Our foreign colleagues are interested in our experience in crisis management. The war has affected every Ukrainian community, and Vinnytsia has developed its own mechanism of action. Our strategic planning is now closely linked to operational response to challenges. And among the main priorities of the city council are security and defense, as well as the full operation of critical infrastructure. "In addition, our priority is to take care of people," said Andrii Ocheretnyi. "We discussed with our colleagues the success of the decentralization reform in Ukraine and the role of local and regional authorities in solving certain issues. We are grateful to the representatives of the European Commission for continuing to strengthen cooperation with Ukrainian cities and are ready to help us integrate into the EU. It is very important for Vinnytsia, as well as for other communities, to have reliable partners who are ready to support us in our recovery and development with consultations and external investments."