On March 26, a presentation of a specialized publication of the Ukrainian-European Journal of International and Comparative Law, "Organization of Regional and Local Authorities: Experience of the Member States of the European Union," took place in Lutsk in the conference hall of the Volyn Regional Council. The presentation of the publication was attended by the coordinator of the project "Promoting Regional Development in Ukraine," Eduard Zakharchenko, the coordinator of this project in Volyn, Iryna Melnychuk, and the EU expert on methodological issues, Axel Brouwer. The acting head of the Department for External Relations and Foreign Economic Activity of the Volyn Regional State Administration, Vladyslav Stemkovskyi, scholars, and representatives of the "third sector" of our region were invited to the presentation event.

The publication was prepared within the framework of the project "Promoting Regional Development in Ukraine," which is financed by the European Union and implemented by a consortium led by the Bureau of Economic Management and Legal Research/BCEOM division, and is an expanded reissue of selected articles published by the Ukrainian-European Legal Consultation Center (UPELAC) in 2001.

As the participants of the presentation noted, the specific goals of this project are to enhance the capacity of national, regional, and local authorities in formulating and implementing regional development policy; to increase the competitive advantages of the selected pilot oblasts; to improve cooperation on regional development issues among stakeholders; and to bring Ukrainian legal frameworks for regional development closer to best European practice.

At the regional and local levels, the target groups of the project are the relevant administrations and their personnel, local and regional support organizations, educational institutions, non-governmental organizations, representative groups, and the business sector. The project operates in three regions: Cherkasy, Vinnytsia, and Volyn oblasts.

In our region, the strategic partner of the project was the Volyn Regional State Administration.