The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has ratified agreements with the Republic of Poland and the Republic of Slovenia, creating additional opportunities for financing the reconstruction and development of territorial communities.

These documents establish the legal framework for attracting international resources to infrastructure upgrade, energy efficiency, utilities development, and economic recovery.

Poland: direct financial mechanisms through BGK

The agreement with Poland  enables the operations of the state-owned Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego (BGK) in Ukraine.

BGK will be able to:

• provide loans, grants, and guarantees to local self-government bodies;
• finance infrastructure and social projects;
• offer technical assistance and support in preparing investment initiatives;
• apply flexible financial tools, including guarantees for Ukrainian banks.

In practice, communities are gaining an additional channel for accessing financial resources to implement development projects.

Slovenia: technical and infrastructure partnership

The ratified agreement with Slovenia stipulates cooperation in more than 20 areas directly related to powers of territorial communities.

Key areas include:

• modernization of local infrastructure and urban planning;
• improvement of facilities’ energy efficiency;
• development of water and wastewater systems;
• implementation of modern energy and environmental solutions;
• support of social sector and economic development.

Separate memoranda can also be signed to implement specific programs and apply tax and customs benefits within the framework of cooperation.

Position of ICEG: international resources require a professional implementation model

Ratification of these agreements creates new opportunities for communities. At the same time, the scale of international financing demands a systematic approach to project preparation and implementation.

ICEG consistently emphasizes that reconstruction must be carried out on the basis of professional project management, clear contract forms, and engineering support of complex infrastructure solutions.

This model ensures:

• transparent use of international funds;
• monitoring of timelines and budgets;
• risk management in complex infrastructure projects;
• guaranteed high quality of delivered work.

The new agreements expand financial opportunities. Their effectiveness will depend on the communities’ ability to implement projects through a professional management system and consulting engineering support.