EU Exchange and Action at the Local Level
Building local democracy across borders
EU Exchange and Action at the Local Level brings together mayors, municipal officials and civil society leaders from Germany, Poland, Ukraine and Moldova. Through study visits, webinars and peer exchange, participants share what works in local democracy and take practical ideas home to their communities.
WHAT IS EU EXCHANGE AND ACTION AT THE LOCAL LEVEL?
The project develops connections between communities in Ukraine, Moldova, Poland and Germany. It supports Ukrainian and Moldovan communities in the process of European integration by giving them practical knowledge, networks and the tools to drive change at the local level.
At its heart are study visits to Poland, Germany and Moldova, where participants meet local administrations, councils, civic initiatives and volunteers to see how local democracy works in everyday practice. These visits are complemented by online learning opportunities and methodological resources developed during the project.
What sets the project apart is that the exchange goes both ways. Participants don’t only learn from their hosts. They share their own experience with them and with each other. Ukrainian participants bring knowledge of keeping communities running and connected in wartime, while Moldovan participants contribute experience in building local action groups and rural development from the ground up.
Project Highlights
Erasmus+ priorities
STUDY VISIT TO POLAND
We recently visited several local communities in the Tarnów region of southern Poland: the municipalities of Rzepiennik Strzyżewski, Gromnik, Ciężkowice and Tuchów, as well as the city of Tarnów. Throughout the visit we met with local institutions, community leaders and non-governmental organisations, gaining first-hand insight into how development works at the local level.
Our key partner was Stowarzyszenie Kompas Pogórza, whose support in shaping the programme and connecting us with local contacts was invaluable.
Our conversations focused on four main themes:
local development and its challenges
Poland’s experience as a member of the European Union
how to make local communities attractive to young people
the role of inter-municipal cooperation in applying for funds for local development
We also had the opportunity to speak with Michal Lebduška from AMO, who offered a Czech
perspective on these issues and helped us put the Polish experience into a broader regional context.
STUDY VISIT TO GERMANY
From 13 to 17 September 2026, CSF hosted a delegation of mayors, municipal officials and civil society leaders from Ukraine and Moldova. Over three days in Brandenburg, they met local councils, administrations and civic initiatives in Brandenburg an der Havel, Rathenow and Michendorf, exploring citizen participation, climate action, rural civic life and how a municipality serves its residents.
Michendorf left the strongest impression, with one Ukrainian participant praising its approach as “smart, with real care for the people who work and live in the community.” Participants left with concrete ideas to take home, from a space for young parents to a digital tool for citizen proposals, and with new partnerships: Ukrainian and Moldovan delegations agreed to work together, and several participants hope to build a lasting partnership with Michendorf.
We thank our hosts in all three towns and the interpreters who made the exchange possible.
UPCOMING ACTIVITIES
The project continues with a study visit to Moldova from 8 to 11 November 2026, where Ukrainian, German and Polish participants will travel together.
This will be followed by a series of online webinars shaped by what participants asked for: how local government is structured in Germany, EU funding and project management for municipalities, citizen participation, volunteering and cooperation between councils and civil society.
PARTNERS
The project is carried out by Civil Society Forum e.V. together with the Education for Democracy Foundation (FED), Poland, IPRE (Moldova) and the Union of the Responsible Citizens (Ukraine), and is funded by the German Federal Foreign Office.
