Legal Rulebook for Recovery: Reducing Risks and Strengthening Trust in Reconstruction Projects

On 27 March 2026, during a meeting of the European Alliance of Cities and Regions for the Reconstruction of Ukraine, the SAFE UKRAINE 2030 Foundation presented its approach to developing systemic, legally sound solutions for the implementation of recovery projects in Ukraine.

At the heart of this work, carried out with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation within the framework of the project “Legal Rulebook for Recovery”, is the development of practical instruments that enable communities, the state, and partners to cooperate more effectively, reduce risks, and strengthen trust in the reconstruction process.

As part of the development of the Legal Rulebook for Recovery, the Foundation’s team analysed a number of real recovery projects across different regions of Ukraine, including their financing models, partnership structures, and key implementation risks. This made it possible to formulate comprehensive solutions tailored to the Ukrainian context, while drawing on leading European practices.

Particular attention is given to risks that have a systemic impact on the effectiveness of reconstruction. These include non-transparent selection of reconstruction objects, inflated project costs, discriminatory conditions in public procurement, reputational risks of participating actors, inefficient use of funds, and the underestimation of financial risks in wartime conditions. Today, these factors directly shape the level of trust that donors, investors, and partners place in Ukrainian recovery projects.

The response to these challenges is not a single universal solution, but rather systematic project design: through clear legal models, risk matrices, standardised approaches to partnership, and the strengthening of community capacities. This approach makes it possible not only to minimise risks, but also to ensure the sustainability of results and the scalability of solutions.

The SAFE UKRAINE 2030 Foundation also advances the idea of a new architecture of security and recovery, in which local communities play a central role. This involves fostering a culture of local democratic security, developing coordination instruments at the local level, and integrating Ukraine’s experience into the broader European context.

Today, Ukraine is not only a recipient of support. It is also a source of unique experience in resilience, crisis management, and cross-sectoral cooperation. This opens new opportunities for partnership formats between Ukrainian communities, European regions, and international institutions.

In this context, the Foundation is actively engaged in European cooperation platforms, including the European Alliance of Cities and Regions for the Reconstruction of Ukraine, where legal and financial models for recovery, the role of the local level, and new approaches to public investment are being discussed.

The SAFE UKRAINE 2030 Foundation remains open to partnerships and joint work on solutions that shape not only reconstruction, but also a new quality of statehood - with strong institutions, a high level of trust, and a modern model of security and development.

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Background: The European Alliance of Cities and Regions for the Reconstruction of Ukraine was established by the European Committee of the Regions, together with associations of regions and cities of Ukraine and the European Union, in June 2022, following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Alliance brings together local and regional authorities from the EU and Ukraine to coordinate joint efforts in support of Ukraine’s effective reconstruction. It also seeks to create synergies with Ukraine’s EU accession process, which is closely followed by the Committee of the Regions’ Working Group on Ukraine.