The Polaris Programme has developed the guide "EU Acquis Chapters: The LGAs' Perspective". This document provides an overview of the "Local Europe in Ukraine" report, which was presented in March with the participation of all-Ukrainian local government associations (LGAs), Members of Parliament, government officials, and the international community.
"Across countries, we see that strong local government associations are essential for successful EU integration. They act as a bridge between national reforms and local implementation — contributing to legislative changes, bringing local voices into the decision-making process, and coordinating efforts across different levels of governance. They don't just coordinate — they empower communities, build capacity, and help them access EU programmes and funding opportunities, ensuring that reforms actually work on the ground", — stated David Young, Senior Expert, SALAR International.
More than half of the 35 EU acquis chapters directly impact the competencies of local authorities—ranging from environmental policy and public procurement to energy and regional development.
In this guide, chapters are prioritized based on the experience of local government associations (LGAs) in other candidate countries, specifically regarding their participation in negotiating groups and the conduct of local-level impact assessments. For each chapter, key challenges have been identified within both the general candidate country experience and the specific Ukrainian context.
"EU accession is not simply a matter of meeting benchmarks. It is truly about what kind of state Ukraine seeks to build — prosperous, fully integrated into the European project, but also rooted in Ukraine's political culture, civil society and decentralization. Without genuinely including local perspectives and hromadas, this process will not be sustainable or effective. A significant part of the EU acquis is implemented locally, and trust in local authorities is higher — making local perspectives a fundamental ingredient for credibility in the reform process, especially when benefits are not visible in the short term", — Klara Lindström, Analyst, Stockholm Centre for Eastern European Studies (SCEEUS).
The situation in Ukraine is unique among candidate countries—not only due to the war but also because of the rapid pace of the accession process, the decentralization reforms post-2014, and the robust support for these transformations from the EU.
"The European Union does not only formulate standards and call for their implementation; we provide concrete programs, technical assistance resources, and methodological support to ensure these changes are realized in practice. There is still much work ahead—specifically in strengthening the capacities of local governments to implement reforms. At the same time, the experience of EU member states that have already walked this path is a vital resource for Ukraine in the integration process," noted Marat Kyurchevskyy, Programme Manager for Public Administration Reform, Local Self-Government and Decentralisation at the EU Delegation to Ukraine. 
The "Local Europe in Ukraine" report contains several specific findings. In particular, municipalities will need to invest in 200 waste management facilities, each costing over €40 million, while more than 6,000 municipal landfills are subject to closure and reclamation. Currently, only half of the wastewater in Ukraine undergoes full biological treatment. At the same time, over €1 billion from the Ukraine Facility is to be directed to the subnational level—and the specific manner in which these funds are allocated will be a critical test of community engagement in the European integration process.
The report was prepared by David Young (SALAR International) and Marta Suprun (Cities4Cities) as part of the Polaris Programme. It is based on an analysis of candidate countries' experiences and interviews with representatives of LGAs, government authorities, and international organizations that shape or implement European integration policy.
The guide "EU Acquis Chapters: The LGAs' Perspective" and the "Local Europe in Ukraine" report are available on our website.
