New Committees to Help Ukraine Modernise Its Government

What problem is being addressed?
Ukraine needs to modernise its public administration so that its institutions are stable, effective and in line with European Union (EU) standards. The Association Agreement signed on 1 September 2017 calls for such reforms, but progress has been slow and there is a lack of a dedicated forum for dialogue and coordination.

How that problem is being solved here?
The Council proposes to create a Public Administration Reform Sub‑Committee under the EU‑Ukraine Association Agreement.

• The Sub‑Committee will bring together experts from the EU and Ukraine to discuss reforms, monitor the reform roadmap and share best practices.
• The Council also endorses a Joint Consultative Committee between the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) and elected local and regional authorities in Ukraine.
• The Committee will have an equal number of representatives from the CoR and from Ukrainian local authorities.
• It will set its own rules of procedure, promote dialogue, and can submit recommendations to the Association Council.
• Costs for meetings, travel and staff will be shared by the CoR and the Ukrainian government.

What changes as a result of this document?

• A new Sub‑Committee is established, governed by rules similar to those of the Association Committee (see Decision No 1/2014, 15 December 2014).
• The Joint Consultative Committee is formally endorsed and given a clear mandate.
• The decision is addressed to the European Commission and will enter into force on the date of adoption.
• The document is part of the EU‑Ukraine Association Agreement framework (Article 463 and 466) and builds on earlier provisions such as Article 4 (political dialogue), Article 6 (domestic reform cooperation), Article 346 (public finance management) and Article 450 (Ukraine’s participation in EU agencies).

These changes create structured, high‑level platforms for continuous cooperation, aiming to accelerate Ukraine’s public‑administration reforms and strengthen EU‑Ukraine relations.