Bridges of Trust Community

27/08/2026

📢 Online Training: Sustainable International Partnership Building

The European Partnership Hub is organising an online training session on building sustainable international partnerships — with a focus on preparing study visits, identifying areas of cooperation, and setting priorities.
This session has a special focus on municipal partnerships involving Ukraine, covering both study visits to Ukraine and visits of Ukrainian delegations to partner municipalities across Europe.

🗓️ Date: 10 September 2026
🕙 Time: 10:00–12:00 CET
💻 Format: Online
🌐 Language: English–Ukrainian, with simultaneous interpretation
👥 Who should join: Municipalities — political representatives, municipal staff, civil society, and other stakeholders working on international partnerships. Especially useful for those preparing their first study visit with a partner municipality.

What participants will learn:
✅ How to prepare and organise an effective study visit
✅ How study visits can strengthen municipal partnerships
✅ How to identify and prioritise areas of cooperation
✅ How to turn priorities into concrete first activities and next steps

The training combines practical guidance, real-world examples, and interactive exercises, allowing participants to work directly on their own partnership priorities.

🔗 Register here: https://lnkd.in/e_Rtahwb

24/08/2026

🇺🇦 Today, we celebrate Ukraine’s Independence Day, — A moment to honor resilience, community, and the ongoing journey toward a stronger, more democratic future. Read below to discover why independence matters today and explore the broader implications for Ukraine’s recovery and EU integration. —

20/08/2026

🤝 Ukrainian and Latvian municipalities standing together
This August, three inspiring municipal partnerships came to life through a study visit and Solidarity Forum in Latvia:
🇺🇦 Mryn ↔ 🇱🇻 Aizkraukle
🇺🇦 Vyzhnytsia & Putyla ↔ 🇱🇻 Jēkabpils
🇺🇦 Berehomet ↔ 🇱🇻 Cēsis
Delegations from five Ukrainian municipalities travelled to their Latvian partner cities to exchange knowledge on municipal services, civil protection and resilience — from water, sewage, roads and street lighting under crisis conditions, to countering disinformation and supporting communities affected by trauma.
The visit culminated in a Solidarity Forum in Cēsis, « Strengthening local communities in crisis, » hosted by Mayor Janis Rozenbergs and bringing together Ukrainian and Latvian local leaders to share experience and prepare proactively for future challenges — proof that these partnerships go both ways: Latvia’s municipalities are learning as much from Ukraine’s resilience as Ukraine is gaining from Latvia’s expertise.
None of this would be possible without the trust and dedication of our partners:
🔹 Association of Ukrainian Cities (AUC)
🔹 Association of Local and Regional Governments (LALRG)
These study visits were organised in the framework of the Bridges of Trust Community, facilitated by the European Partnership Hub, supported by the EU and its Member States through the U-LEAD with Europe programme.

These study visits were organised within the Bridges of Trust Community, facilitated by the European Partnership Hub, thanks to the support of U-LEAD with Europe, the European Union and its Member States — Germany, Denmark, France, Austria, Poland, and Slovenia.

20/08/2026

🤝 «Мости довіри» в дії: українські та латвійські муніципалітети разом

Цього серпня три надихаючі муніципальні партнерства отримали нові можливості для розвитку під час навчального візиту та Форуму солідарності в Латвії:

🇺🇦 Мрин ↔ 🇱🇻 Айзкраукле
🇺🇦 Вижниця та Путила ↔ 🇱🇻 Єкабпілс
🇺🇦 Чернівці та Берегомет ↔ 🇱🇻 Цесіс

Делегація з п’яти українських муніципалітетів відвідала свої латвійські муніципалітети-партнери, щоб обмінятися досвідом у сфері муніципальних послуг, цивільного захисту та стійкості громад — від забезпечення водопостачання, водовідведення, утримання доріг і вуличного освітлення в умовах кризи до протидії дезінформації та підтримки громад, які постраждали від травматичного воєнного досвіду.

Кульмінацією візиту став Форум солідарності в Цесісі «Посилення місцевих громад у кризових умовах», організований за участю мера міста Цесіс Яніса Розенбергса. Форум об’єднав українських і латвійських представників місцевого самоврядування для обміну досвідом та спільної підготовки до майбутніх викликів.

Ці партнерства доводять, що обмін досвідом працює в обидва боки: латвійські муніципалітети вчаться у стійкості України так само, як Україна переймає досвід Латвії.

Нічого цього не було б можливим без довіри та відданості наших партнерів:

🔹 Асоціація міст України (АМУ)
🔹 Латвійської асоціації місцевих і регіональних органів влади (LALRG)

Ці навчальні візити були організовані в рамках спільноти «Мости довіри» (Bridges of Trust Community) за сприяння Європейського хабу партнерства (European Partnership Hub) та підтримки ULEAD з Європою / ULEAD with Europe, Європейського Союзу і його держав-членів — Німеччини, Данії, Франції, Австрії, Польщі та Словенії.

19/08/2026

27/07/2026

24/07/2026

🇺🇦 🇵🇹 8 new Portuguese-Ukrainian municipal partnerships on the way!

Following the to engage Portuguese mayors in establishing long-term mutually beneficial partnerships with Ukraine, eight Portuguese municipalities from the Coimbra region expressed interest in cooperating with Ukrainian municipalities. They are now moving through a structured bilateral meeting process, facilitated by the secretariat, together with the Асоціація міст України (AUC) and the Região Metropolitana de Coimbra

Online bilateral meetings have already taken place, bringing together mayors, technical teams, and regional partners to explore shared priorities — from social services and cultural heritage to youth engagement and local development — and to agree on signing a Letter of Intent as first step for their further cooperation.

A recent example: Góis (Portugal) and Lopushne (Ukraine) found strong common ground in community-based social initiatives, active ageing programmes, and youth cultural exchange — a promising basis for a lasting partnership.

Swipe through 👉 to discover the 8 new Portuguese-Ukrainian municipal partnerships:
🔹 Góis – Lopushne
🔹 Cantanhede – Mykulyntsi
🔹 Miranda do Corvo – Vinkivtsi
🔹 Soure – Drabiv
🔹 Pampilhosa da Serra – Kosmach
🔹 Penela – Staryi Ostropil
🔹 Lousã – Hryshkivtsi
🔹 Montemor-o-Velho – Murovani Kurylytsi

The Bridges of Trust Community is about empowering cooperation with Ukrainian municipalities, turning solidarity into structured, long-term cooperation between local governments. 🤝

06/07/2026

🏆Looking for an artist, designer, craftsperson, studio or creative agency to design and produce the trophies for the Partnerships Award 2026. 

The award celebrates outstanding partnerships between Ukrainian towns and cities and their European counterparts, recognising their commitment to resilience, solidarity, recovery and cooperation. 

✨ We are seeking a creative concept that reflects the spirit of the Bridges of Trust Community through a pair of complementary trophies symbolising the connection between partner towns and cities. 

📅 Deadline for applications: 17 July 2026 
📩 Apply via: [email protected]
📝 Subject: Call for Proposals – Bridges of Trust Award Trophies 

Read more: https://lnkd.in/e7DWrB94 

Interested? Submit your portfolio, concept proposal and visual references for a chance to bring this important European-Ukrainian partnership award to life. 🤝

🎨🇪🇺🇺🇦

29/06/2026

🤝 The Secretariat met the new Programme Director of U-LEAD with Europe at the Ukraine Recovery Conference, in Gdansk!

The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) Director of Projects and Programmes, Durmish Guri, was delighted to meet Astrid Kohl, who took up her role as Programme Director of ULEAD з Європою / ULEAD with Europe in June 2026, following the leadership of Bastian Veigel.

The meeting was an opportunity to present the (EPH) and the Bridges of Trust Community — a community born as a project and has since grown into a community of actors committed to Ukraine’s recovery, decentralisation, and EU accession, thanks to the support and long-standing cooperation of U-LEAD with Europe.

Over the years, CEMR and U-LEAD have built a cooperation grounded in professionalism, trust, friendship and long-term commitment. These values have enabled both organisations to work together effectively to strengthen municipal cooperation, support Ukraine’s recovery, and promote meaningful partnerships between European and Ukrainian local governments.

We would also like to take this moment to extend our heartfelt thanks to Bastian Veigel for the excellent cooperation and commitment during his leadership of U-LEAD. 🙏

We look forward to continuing this strong partnership with Astrid Kohl and the U-LEAD team, building on our shared experience, networks and commitment to empower municipalities and communities in the years ahead.

💙💛 The EPH is supported by the European Union and its Member States through U-LEAD with Europe.



Dr. Angeliki mavrid Ljubica Kosheliuk Andrej Horvat Durmish Guri Stanislav Taran Léa Hetz

25/06/2026

🇪🇸 🇺🇦 Two Towns. One Commitment. A partnership signed in
Yesterday, at the Ukraine–Poland Solidarity Forum « Resilient Recovery: Municipal Partnerships, Investment and European Integration » — organised by the Асоціація міст України, the Association of Polish Cities, the Metropolia Gdańsk-Gdynia-Sopot, and the Union of Polish Metropolises — the municipality of Bonares, Spain, and the community of Ratne, Ukraine, formally signed a twinning agreement.

A small Spanish town on the edge of the Doñana wetlands. A Ukrainian community in Volyn. Bound now, formally and publicly, as sister communities.

The road to yesterday’s signing began months ago, with a letter from Віталій Бірук, Mayor of Ratne, to Juan Antonio García García, Mayor of Bonares — a letter that spoke of a shared visit, shared values, and a shared vision for what cooperation between local governments can actually deliver. Agricultural development. Berry cultivation cooperatives. Knowledge exchange. Concrete projects across culture, education, and the local economy.

Behind this twinning sits a wider movement. FAMSI— the Andalusian Fund of Municipalities for International Solidarity — has championed this partnership alongside the Help To Ukraine NGO, which has served as a relentless driving force connecting Spanish and Ukrainian civil society. The Club of Mayors added its weight. Together, they represent something that statistics rarely capture: the fact that more than 80% of Spanish citizens currently express support for Ukraine. That is not passive sympathy. It is a foundation.

For the Bridges of Trust Community — which stands at the intersection of exactly this kind of international municipal action — the Bonares–Ratne twinning is a reminder of why this work matters.

Welcome to the BoT Community, Bonares and Ratne. 🇺🇦🇪🇸
ULEAD з Європою / ULEAD with Europe