The launch of a new era for Franco-Ukrainian territorial cooperation
July 7th 2026 marked a groundbreaking milestone for decentralised cooperation as the official visit of the delegation from the Ternopil Regional Council (Ukraine) to the Department of Calvados (France) culminated in the signing of a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
ALDA – the European Association for Local Democracy, has steered this partnership from its very inception: brokering the initial matchmaking, facilitating strategic negotiations, and supporting the process all the way to the final signature. Moving forward, ALDA will serve as the operational anchor, committed to turning this strategic framework into a sustainable engine for regional resilience, democratic governance and local development.
The Calvados-Ternopil partnership serves as a strong proof of concept for ALDA’s unique methodology in supporting Ukrainian local authorities. Rather than relying on traditional, top-down administrative pairings, this initiative introduces a dynamic, scalable model built on two core pillars that define the long-term perspective of this cooperation:
- The Multilevel & Multiactor Blueprint: The agreement establishes a structure that operates simultaneously across different tiers of local governance (department-oblast and municipality-municipality). Crucially, it brings together an entire ecosystem beyond local authorities, actively engaging civil society organisations (CSOs), academia, local business ecosystems, and the vibrant Ukrainian diaspora in France. This ensures that high-level institutional goodwill directly feeds into practical, grassroots projects.
- National and European Scaling: This territorial partnership is not an isolated initiative; it is firmly aligned with national recovery frameworks. It connects directly with ALDA’s MoU with the Ukrainian Ministry of Development of Communities and Territories regarding the “Shoulder to Shoulder” initiative, a model ALDA aims to scale up across the entire European Union.
The momentum generated by the signing led to an important debriefing hosted at the Embassy of Ukraine in France in Paris. The Ternopil delegation presented the successful outcomes of their visit, expressing deep gratitude and respect to ALDA for transforming this ambitious partnership into reality. The Embassy did not hide its enthusiasm for the newly signed agreement, formally highlighting that this is the first time a French department has signed an MoU with a regional partner from Ukraine, marking a monumental step forward for bilateral diplomatic and territorial relations.
”This agreement represents the ultimate ALDA signature: a holistic approach where local authorities, citizens, universities, and businesses co-create a shared democratic future. It sets a resilient, modern standard for how European and Ukrainian territories can build long-term solidarity.”