Together with international partners, Ukraine is shifting to a systemic model of recovery financing. This was the focus of the meeting between representatives of the European Commission, international financial institutions, Ukrainian banks, and Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine.

The spotlight is not just on the access to resources but on changing the approach from funding individual initiatives to a comprehensive administration of project portfolio within the Ukraine Investment Framework.

Main challenges remain the same: limited financial capacities of communities, difficulties with obtaining credits, and protracted procedures. In fact, most social projects are based on the grant support and the path from funding decision to work commencement is too long. The conclusion is obvious – the problem lies not only in resources but in the preparation quality.

To solve this problem, the Ministry of Economy issued Order No. 4901 of 10.04.2026 on introducing unified rules for the preparation of public investment projects. It provides for adopting a single approach at all levels and forming a project portfolio instead of working on individual ideas.

The new model envisages a three-level selection from strategic to sectoral projects and is combined with support as well-prepared projects can obtain assistance with elaboration of documents and feasibility studies. The projects will be processed in the DREAM system which becomes the basic tool of public investment management.

For communities, this means shifting the focus, meaning that a project must be not only necessary but also well-prepared and having clear logic and output. It is the quality of preparation that determines whether it will receive support.

Introducing universal rules secures transition to the systemic work. At the same time, the outcome depends not on the rules as such but on how the project is prepared and its implementation is organized, all the way from technical solutions to implementation management. This is the point that decides whether the project will be delivered or remain an intention.