«We do not interfere» — Danish support for Mykolaiv does not depend on voting for the structure of the city hall

Head of the Office of the Embassy of Denmark Jakob Hansen. Photo: NikVesti

The Kingdom of Denmark has never interfered and is not going to interfere with democratic decision-making processes in Mykolaiv City Council.

This was stated by Jakob Hansen, Head of the Office of the Danish Embassy in Ukraine, in a commentary to NikVesti.

According to him, Mykolaiv's recovery programme is designed to last until at least 2028, and its implementation does not depend on the introduction of a new management structure in the city council, developed at the request of Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych with funds from the European Anti-Corruption Initiative (EUACI).

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«Denmark's support does not depend on the adoption of the new structure. We have already launched a support programme for the period 2025-2028. The concept of the new structure was developed at the request of the mayor and funded by EUACI. The question of whether to implement or not to implement this structure depends solely on the city council and the mayor's office,» said Jakob Hansen.

He added that the effective work of the city authorities makes it easier to attract additional funds from international partners.

«We are all interested in the effective work of the city hall, because it makes it easier for us to attract additional donor funds and private investment for Mykolaiv. However, we never interfere in the democratic decision-making processes of the city council,» added Jacob Hansen.

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As a reminder, during the plenary session of the Mykolaiv City Council on 31 October, the Honorary Consul of the Kingdom of Denmark, City Councilor Mykola Kapatsyna called for support for the new structure, as «it meets the needs of partners» and «The level of support for our community directly depends on our willingness to change on the recommendations of our partners».

It is worth noting that in the proposed changes to the structure, Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych abandoned the key changes he had emphasised in the spring of 2025, in particular, the weakening of the role of all district administrations. At the same time, the mayor's office cannot yet say how much the number of executive officials and the costs of their maintenance will be reduced.

Screenshot from the draft decision to approve the new structure of executive bodies of Mykolaiv City Council

The draft decision published on the website of Mykolaiv city council also lacks information on the internal structure of at least 4 executive bodies.

At the end of August, Mykolaiv City Council approved an updated structure of the city hall's executive bodies, which, in particular, provides for the liquidation of the anti-corruption department as an independent structural unit and its merger with the executive committee. During the session, city council member Andrii Yermolaiev, who headed the department, opposed this decision.

Already in September, the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption recommended that Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych create a separate, independent and functionally independent anti-corruption unit in the city council. The NAPC's letter notes that such units should operate autonomously and be responsible for preventing and detecting corruption.

On 14 November, the Mykolaiv City Council's Commission on Land Issues did not support the structure of the city council's executive bodies — there were not enough votes to pass the decision. The commission on legality was also supposed to consider the issue on 19 November, but it did not take place due to a conflict between the deputies.