Mykolaiv is among the leaders of European integration at the local level

Mykolaiv is among the leaders in meeting European integration criteria among Ukrainian cities. Despite the war, the city demonstrates a high level of transparency and accountability, but still faces challenges in the areas of inclusion and budget participation.

This is evidenced by the research conducted by Transparency International Ukraine.

In 2024, Mykolaiv became one of the leaders in fulfilling European integration criteria among Ukrainian cities. According to the analytics of Transparent Cities program of Transparency International Ukraine, the regional center scored 31 points out of 40 possible in terms of indicators that meet the requirements of the EU Facility and the European Commission's report on EU enlargement.

The city has fully implemented the European indicators in the area of openness: the structure of the city council, the subordination of municipal enterprises and institutions, as well as the EDRPOU codes are published in detail on the official website. This level of transparency allows citizens to better understand how the self-government works and ensures control over the distribution of budget funds. Mykolaiv also demonstrates an adequate level of response to the challenges of war, which is especially important given the status of the territory of possible hostilities.

INFOGRAPHICS: Transparency International Ukraine

In the overall ranking of cities according to European integration criteria, Vinnytsia, Lutsk and Chernivtsi are the leaders, having received 34 points each. However, Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia were among the few frontline cities that managed to achieve high results in the areas of openness and public information.

At the same time, the study also revealed some weaknesses: most cities, including Mykolaiv, do not hold full budget hearings, pay little attention to the accessibility of buildings for people with disabilities, and do not publish data in open machine-readable formats. This shows that despite some achievements, cities still face many challenges on their way to full integration into the European space.

In May, Mykolaiv was ranked 7th in the City Transparency Ranking during the war, demonstrating one of the highest results among frontline communities. Odesa, on the other hand, did not make it to the top ten with a score of 45.5 points, taking only the 34th position. The study showed that the level of transparency is determined not by the size or financial resources of a city, but by the political will and consistent work of local authorities.

Анна Бальчінос