Bridges of Trust

Brussels, November 8th – The inaugural Bridges of Trust gathering is scheduled to take place at the CEMR Secretariat in Brussels. This event will bring together representatives from Ukrainian and European municipalities, as well as Ukrainian and European Local Self-Government Associations, EU institutions, and other relevant organisations which have joined forces since the onset of the conflict.  
 
"In times of adversity, unity becomes our greatest strength. The Bridges of Trust project exemplifies the power of collaboration in rebuilding Ukrainian municipalities and forging a path towards EU membership," says Durmish Guri, Director of External Resources and Knowledge Strategy at CEMR.  
 
In the aftermath of the extensive destruction suffered by many Ukrainian municipalities, it became evident that fostering increased local and regional cooperation between Ukraine and the European Union is essential to aid Ukraine's recovery. Through a collaborative effort, CEMR, in partnership with U-LEAD, has established a support network for Ukrainian municipalities, facilitating connections with their European counterparts.  
 
The event will spotlight various reconstruction and modernisation projects and offer valuable recommendations for successful cooperation among all participants. It provides an opportunity to explore potential funding sources available to EU municipalities to build and design the future of the "Bridges of Trust" initiative with a bottom-up and people-to-people approach.
 
Distinguished participants at the summit include notable organisations such as the Solidarity Fund Poland, the Slovenian Centre for European Perspective (CEP), NALAS – Network of Associations of Local Authorities of South-East Europe, and the European Association for Local Democracy (ALDA). Representatives from Belgium, Ukraine, Germany, Italy, France, North Macedonia, Denmark, Poland, Slovenia, Spain and Latvia will also be present at the event.