Draft Law on Community Self-Organization Bodies: Analysis of a European Integration Initiative

On April 10, 2026, Draft Law No. 15165 on improving the legal conditions for the activities of community self-organization bodies was registered in Parliament. 

The draft law, submitted by members of Parliament, proposes to set out the Law of Ukraine on Community Self-Organization Bodies in a new version. On May 15, 2026, the Verkhovna Rada Committee on the Organization of State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning recommended adopting the draft law as a basis. At the same time, the Main Scientific and Expert Directorate of the Verkhovna Rada Secretariat issued an opinion stating that certain provisions of the draft law are inconsistent with the Constitution of Ukraine.

The initiative’s main purpose is to implement paragraph 6.1 of the Roadmap on the Functioning of Democratic Institutions, approved by Cabinet of Ministers Order No. 475-r of May 14, 2025, Certain Issues of Ensuring the Negotiation Process for Ukraine’s Accession to the European Union under Cluster 1 Fundamentals. Under these requirements, the amendments to the Law of Ukraine on Community Self-Organization Bodies were due as early as the fourth quarter of 2025. 

On March 11, 2026, the Verkhovna Rada failed to support Draft Law No. 6319 on amendments to the Law of Ukraine on Community Self-Organization Bodies. Only 205 MPs voted in favor, which was not enough for adoption.

Key takeaways

• The draft law is timely and aims at a conceptual overhaul of Ukrainian legislation: modernizing approaches to the organization, operation, and termination of community self-organization bodies, creating more effective mechanisms for their functioning within the local self-government system, and implementing paragraph 6.1 of the Roadmap on the Functioning of Democratic Institutions. 
• The draft law proposes to simplify the establishment of self-organization bodies and to set out an exhaustive list of procedural grounds for refusing permission to establish one.

It is also necessary to: 

• align the territorial levels of self-organization bodies with the administrative reform carried out in Ukraine, regulate the procedure for holding general meetings (conferences) of residents, and introduce a flexible procedure for electing the membership of self-organization bodies;
• establish a contractual mechanism for interaction and for endowing self-organization bodies with the self-governing powers of the executive bodies of local councils, and make these bodies more public and open.
• However, the draft law has significant shortcomings that require further work, such as bringing a number of its provisions into line with the Constitution of Ukraine.

What is the current situation?

The current model of community self-organization bodies is outdated and has remained virtually unchanged since 2001. Over this period, approaches to citizen participation in addressing issues of local importance, as well as the needs of territorial communities, have changed significantly. In practice, establishing a self-organization body is a complex and lengthy process, and a number of issues related to their activities are either insufficiently regulated or not regulated at all. This is why legislation in this area needs a comprehensive update aimed at simplifying the establishment procedure, properly regulating the principles of interaction with local self-government bodies and other self-organization bodies, and setting out the basis for internal financial control and the grounds for terminating both the activities of a self-organization body itself and the powers of its individual members.

Amendments proposed in the draft law

Simplified establishment and more detailed operating procedures

The mechanisms for establishing self-organization bodies will become simpler, which should give impetus to their development. The draft law introduces the relative majority principle and the right to choose between open and secret voting; clarifies the criteria for exercising the right to elect and be elected to the membership of a self-organization body; and sets a maximum term of office for that membership, the expiry of which does not terminate the body’s activities.

Territorial scope of powers

Self-organization bodies may be established at the following territorial levels: village(s) and/or settlement(s), city, or city district; micro-district, residential complex, or block; street or buildings.

Stronger role for self-organization bodies

Residents will have greater opportunities to influence the decisions of local authorities. Within its competence, a self-organization body may make organizational and administrative decisions. Decisions of a self-organization body adopted within the powers defined in Article 15(2) of this Law are binding on all residents of the territory in which the body operates. A village, settlement, or city mayor may suspend a decision of a self-organization body while simultaneously applying to court to have it revoked. Decisions of self-organization bodies that are administrative acts are adopted, enter into force, are enforced, and cease to have effect in accordance with the Law of Ukraine on Administrative Procedure.

Members of self-organization bodies have the right to participate, with an advisory vote, in meetings of the relevant local council and its executive body when these consider matters directly related to the activities or exercise of powers of the self-organization body, as well as matters initiated by that body. 

Transparency 

A self-organization body reports on its activities, implemented projects, and use of funds and property to the general meeting (conference) of residents at least once a year. The reporting procedure is set out in the body’s Regulations.

Contract-based powers

A local council will be able to endow a self-organization body with part of its powers under a contract, transferring the relevant property and resources. Such a contract is concluded on behalf of the council by the village, settlement, or city mayor and approved by a council decision.

Financial basis

The draft law establishes that the financial basis for the activities of self-organization bodies consists of local budget funds, charitable donations, other forms of non-repayable financial assistance, and other revenues not prohibited by law. A self-organization body uses the financial resources received from the local budget independently, for the purposes and within the limits set by the relevant council.

Participation in urban planning and local affairs

Self-organization bodies will be formally involved in discussions on land development, making these processes more transparent. In particular, they will have the right to participate in public consultations on local urban planning documentation affecting the interests of residents living within their territory, and to initiate public hearings and other forms of territorial community participation in addressing issues of local importance in accordance with the procedure set out in the territorial community charter.

Oversight of self-organization bodies

Oversight of the financial activities of a self-organization body and its use of property is exercised, within their respective powers, by: the village, settlement, or city council that permitted its establishment (or an executive body designated by the council, with respect to transferred community property and allocated local budget funds); the general meeting (conference) of residents; the body’s audit commission; and state authorities.

Identified problems and recommendations for improving the draft law

Despite its generally positive direction, an analysis of the text of draft law No. 15165 reveals certain risks:

1. Inconsistency of the procedure for establishing self-organization bodies with the Constitution of Ukraine. Establishing these bodies falls within the competence of the local council, and the law cannot restrict the council or deprive it of the ability to decide, at its own will, whether or not to permit the establishment of a self-organization body. Under the draft, however, the council would effectively be required to accept the residents’ initiative.
2. Inconsistency with the Basic Law of the amended legal formulation “powers granted to a self-organization body in accordance with the Constitution and laws of Ukraine, as well as transferred to it by the village, settlement, or city council within its competence to address issues of local importance in the relevant territory.” The Constitution does not provide for granting or transferring the powers of local councils to self-organization bodies; it only provides for councils to endow them with powers by the councils’ own decisions.
3. Diminished role of the local council in determining the scope of a self-organization body’s powers. This is not fully consistent with the constitutional nature of these bodies as entities endowed with part of the competence of local self-government bodies and requires further justification. 
4. Delimitation of self-organization bodies’ powers and the local council’s discretion. Combining the own and delegated powers of self-organization bodies under the single term “powers of a self-organization body” runs counter to the principle that it is the council that must determine the scope of these bodies’ powers — the very powers for which they are essentially established (and which depend on the relevant council’s willingness to endow the body with part of its own competence, finances, and property).
5. Delineation of powers. There is a risk that the functions of self-organization bodies will duplicate the powers of village heads, which may lead to conflicts of competence within a single territorial community. The draft should therefore clearly delineate where the responsibility of a self-organization body ends and that of the village head begins, so as not to create “dual power” on the same street.
6. Risk of formalism. Stronger accountability and publicity requirements call for additional digital tools; otherwise, self-organization bodies in villages or settlements will be technically unable to comply with these rules.
7. Vague financial guarantees and integrity requirements. The draft obliges councils to assist self-organization bodies but sets no clear minimum standards for financial support. Transparency requirements for spending the funds these bodies will receive from local budgets should be strengthened by introducing mandatory public reporting.

Conclusion

The draft law is part of Ukraine’s European integration, in particular as regards ensuring transparency and citizen participation in the implementation of public policy. Its adoption is in line with the European Commission’s recommendations on strengthening local self-government and making governance processes more inclusive.

TI Ukraine generally welcomes the progress of draft law No. 15165 as a necessary step toward strengthening local democracy. At the same time, to prevent legal chaos and abuse on the ground, it is necessary to:

• clearly delineate the powers of self-organization bodies and village heads;
• establish transparent criteria for funding the activities of self-organization bodies;
• ensure the digitalization of these bodies’ reporting processes.

We recommend amending the draft law, in particular to bring its provisions into line with the Constitution of Ukraine, and adopting it.