🟢 “Union of Three: It’s a Go!”
The headline could have been “Water Doesn’t Flow Under a Lying Stone,” but the man who captured the audience’s attention for several hours had something noteworthy to say every minute, each of which could have served as a headline. So, it’s better to use his “Opportunity Instead of Give,” or a bunch of others.
In essence, the event revolved around chances, opportunities, the future, and changes that people can make themselves. Henry Sternberg, the founder of the “Economy of Trust” company and President of the World Trade Center Kyiv,
engaged, educated, advised, and emphasized with the participants for several hours. On August 2, 2023, in the Znamyanska City Council, an Economic Union was established between municipalities with the participation of the Pantaivska and Novoprazka village councils. The creation of this Economic Union is formalized through a Memorandum of Inter-Municipal Cooperation, and today marks a powerful start.
Skeptics might overlook this news, but optimists won’t. You can talk from your couch about how “the government does nothing,” to comfort those who genuinely do nothing for their municipality. Building this union, inviting experts, involving businesses, and planning projects is not a one-day task. It involves the substantial efforts of Mayor Volodymyr Sokyrka, Deputy Mayor Liana Peresadchenko, City Council Secretary Viktoriia Zelenska, infrastructure department specialist Ihor Uchaniev, and many others. Today, the Union of Three already exists, with significant prospects ahead. The speaker emphasized that such unions do not exist in Ukraine yet. We will be “pioneering” while others will benefit from our experience. Of course, the beginning is challenging, but there are more opportunities! The main thing is to determine where we are going and with whom!
What’s the purpose of all this? The Club of Mayors is preparing for the implementation of a nationwide project by our strategic partners, EoT Global Inc.: “Rebirth of the Nation – Strong Municipalities, Strong Ukraine.”
The project aims to develop a specific strategy for coordination and partnership between communities and the local private sector to create a vision and attract international corporations and investors. The goal is to create a balanced local economy that generates jobs and economic opportunities, improving living conditions for every citizen of the economic union.
Advantages of Economic Unions:
- Increased Economic Power
By forming an economic union, municipalities can increase their economic power. The combined resources of several cities and communities under a shared vision can enhance the chances of attracting investments and boosting trade, ultimately creating jobs and fostering economic growth in each municipality.
- Resource and Expertise Exchange
Municipalities within an economic union can exchange resources and expertise through working groups to achieve common goals. For instance, one city may possess expertise in a particular field, while another has natural resources and other assets. Collaboration allows municipalities to pool their natural resources, financial resources, economic stimulus programs, potential, and expertise for greater results than they could achieve individually.
- Infrastructure Improvementи
Municipalities within economic unions jointly plan infrastructure improvements, from roads to internet communications. Working together enables municipalities to utilize funding and resources for enhancing roads, bridges, and other critical infrastructure, making the region more attractive to businesses and investors, thus increasing economic activity.
- Business Development
Economic unions are most effective at involving local businesses from participating municipalities. Only through jointly developing strategies and economic development plans can tangible results be achieved, rather than just producing empty documents.
