Study trip to Romania as part of the UCORD project

From 18 to 22 November 2024, Iryna Tymechko, Acting Director of the Regional Development Agency of Lviv Region, was part of the Ukrainian delegation on a study trip to Romania organised by Ukraine’s Cohesion & Regional Development (UCORD).

Representatives of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine, as well as regional development agencies and their supervisory boards from across Ukraine, took part in the study visit.

The visit aimed to bring Ukrainian regional development agencies together, provide them with equal opportunities to learn and establish partnerships, and promote building a network of strong regional agencies in Ukraine.

During the study trip, participants visited:
— the Ministry for Development, Public Works, and Administration of Romania;
— the Ministry of European Investments and Projects of Romania;
— the North-East Regional Development Agency;
— Letcani Industrial Park (Iaşi);
— Miroslava Industrial Park.

The meetings covered the issues related to regional development and the management of European investments, in particular cooperation within the Interreg NEXT Romania-Ukraine. Participants learned how business infrastructure contributes to regional development through initiatives that combine infrastructure development, cultural heritage preservation, and support for local identity. Examples of how industrial parks and innovative educational and medical projects are becoming the foundation for sustainable regional development were also discussed.

These meetings became an important stage in preparing for new initiatives aimed at strengthening interregional cooperation and introducing effective regional governance practices in Ukraine.

The study visit was an excellent example of how international cooperation contributes to regional capacity building, the adoption of effective tools, and the creation of new opportunities for sustainable growth.

For reference:

The Swiss-Ukrainian project Ukraine’s Cohesion & Regional Development (UCORD) is being implemented with the support of Switzerland through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) by NIRAS Sweden AB.

UCORD is a project that provides comprehensive support to regional development agencies (RDAs) and regional policy reform in Ukraine. It strengthens the capacity of agencies to coordinate regional recovery and development processes, set priorities, and establish partnerships for the implementation of projects in the areas of SME support, clustering, water supply, wastewater treatment, waste management, culture, and creative industries.

Find more details can be found on the project website: https://ucord.in.ua/