Seeking Joint Solutions for Shaping Europe's Future: A Delegation from Vinnytsia Took Part in the 7th German-Ukrainian Conference on Municipal Partnerships

This week, the seventh German-Ukrainian Conference on Municipal Partnerships took place in Münster, dedicated to the exchange of experience in the context of establishing and developing inter-municipal relations on a horizontal level. The event, which lasted from 16 to 18 June, brought together more than 600 representatives of local authorities from Ukraine and Germany. Events of this level are platforms that help Ukrainian communities, including Vinnytsia, to establish new international contacts and cooperation.

"Vinnytsia is a leader in European integration processes. In particular, in the provision of administrative services, in issues related to healthcare, education and utilities. I think this is one of the reasons why Vinnytsia is represented at such a high level at the conference, which brought together hundreds of representatives from various municipalities in Germany and Ukraine to discuss possible ways of further cooperation," said Vinnytsia Mayor Serhii Morhunov.

Serhii Morhunov also added that it was at such a conference several years ago that he met Frank Mentrup, the mayor of the German city of Karlsruhe. That meeting led to a twinning between our communities, which today has already yielded many fruitful results.

In the Peace Hall, Serhii Morhunov met with Münster Mayor Markus Lewe, Director of the Lublin Centre for International Cooperation Krzysztof Stanowski, and German Minister for Federal, European and International Affairs Nathanael Liminski.

‘Our trilateral partnership with Münster and Lublin is another example of effective cooperation aimed at implementing various projects and providing practical support to communities. And we are continuing our cooperation,’ said Serhii Morhunov.

The Mayor of Münster, Markus Lewe, also added that he considers cooperation with Vinnytsia to be effective, as our cities have a lot in common:

‘The most valuable thing is personal meetings, from person to person. When I visited Ukraine, I realised that it is not only a country fighting a war, but also a country of great culture. The centre of Europe is here, in Ukraine. We are happy to see people in Vinnytsia who live in a democracy and know what freedom of choice and human dignity mean. We enjoy cooperating with Vinnytsia, and this sympathy is mutual. Our cities have a rich history, and it is very gratifying to see how Vinnytsia simply takes action and gets things done despite all the challenges,’ emphasised Markus Lewe.

Krzysztof Stanowski, Director of the Centre for International Cooperation in Lublin, is convinced that international cooperation between cities and towns is of great importance for the strong development of all parties. He noted, in particular, that Lublin cooperates with nine Ukrainian communities and, together with Münster, has delivered numerous humanitarian aid shipments to Ukrainians affected by russian military aggression since the start of the full-scale invasion.

‘Lublin is located just 80 km from the border. More than 1.4 million refugees have passed through our city. On the very first day of the full-scale invasion, we received a call from Münster asking how we could help. We started with humanitarian aid: more than 100 trucks with aid were sent to Ukraine, including to Vinnytsia. In the future, we see a need to develop medical partnerships, especially in the area of rehabilitation, which is critically important for people. We help in various ways — for example, we jointly built four bomb shelters in Sumy. Fortunately, Vinnytsia did not need such help, but Vinnytsia is an example for the whole of Europe. Support is needed here and now, and every European city should have a sister city in Ukraine. I sincerely thank Münster and its association for their support from the very beginning,’ said Krzysztof Stanowski.

The main topics of the three-day event covered practical aspects of municipal partnership: from infrastructure reconstruction to the introduction of digital services, from the exchange of experience in the social sphere to the development of sustainable energy. Participants discussed the challenges and achievements of communities and presented successful cases of cooperation to form a vision for future joint projects.

During one of the conference's discussion panels, Johann Saathoff, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), said that he had visited Kyiv and also planned to visit Vinnytsia.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Germany Oleksii Makeiev noted that twinning is not just a formality, but a living process of interaction, exchange of experience and support that enriches all parties and creates true European unity through human connections.