Serhii Morhunov: Vinnytsia Now Has Another European Partner - the French City of Dijon

Vinnytsia continues to establish new international ties that contribute to the resilience and sustainable development of the community in various spheres of life. From now on, the city of Dijon is officially our partner, and the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region is a partner of Vinnytsia Region. This was announced by Vinnytsia Mayor Serhii Morhunov on his Facebook page.

He thanked the Metropolis of Dijon, the leadership of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region and everyone who contributed to the establishment of horizontal cooperation between our cities and regions.

‘This partnership is not just about projects. It is about mutual trust, exchange of experience and values that unite our communities. The French side has shown great openness to practical cooperation in the areas of education, ecology, sustainable development, and local self-government,’ said Serhii Morhunov. ’It is important for us not just to maintain international contacts, but to develop strong horizontal ties, where communities talk to communities directly. During a full-scale war, we especially feel the power of support from our European partners.’

At the ceremony of signing the quadripartite Memorandum of Understanding between Vinnytsia and Dijon, as well as between Vinnytsia Region and the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, our community was represented by Deputy Mayors Vladyslav Skalskyy and Halyna Yakubovych.

‘Such a partnership is valuable for our community in many areas of development, namely: exchange of experience between cities, development of rehabilitation infrastructure, inclusion, medicine, education, and culture. I would also like to mention the OnDijon project, which has become a huge inspiration for me personally in the further development of Vinnytsia as a smart city. Since the start of the war in 2022, the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region has mobilised €500,000 to support humanitarian aid, refugee reception and assistance to Ukraine's border areas,’ said Vladyslav Skalskyy.

Deputy Mayor Halyna Yakubovych noted that they had discussed with foreign partners possible areas of cooperation in higher education between the universities of Dijon and Vinnytsia.

‘We visited the Dijon Burgundy University Hospital (CHU), one of the 20 largest hospitals in France. We have already started cooperation with the university hospital in cardiology, obstetrics and gynaecology. During the visit, we got acquainted with the work of the Institute de la Fertilite reproductive technology centre, the cardiology centre, and discussed further steps of cooperation,’ she said. ‘Founded back in the 18th century, it initially had one faculty - law. And now the strongest point of the institution is jurisprudence, although they also teach the exact sciences, medicine, and pharmacy. This university is considered very prestigious in France.’