The city of Zhytomyr, located just west of Kyiv, and the EUACI have been working together since 2018. On March 25, the EUACI team visited the city to take stock of their joint work and agree on next steps.
Each phase of our partnership has brought visible results for the community. The agenda ahead includes the development of digital services, capacity-building, procurement monitoring, an Integrity Assessment of the Municipality’s water utility and new approaches to construction oversight. During the visit a Memorandum of Understanding was signed to consolidate our future cooperation.
Our cooperation has delivered results. An internal audit unit has been established at the city council, and many recommendations from the first audit have already been implemented. The city council’s e-Reception Hall reached over 20,000 users in 2025, with a number of administrative services now available online. The city’s Geoportal, with 8 open data modules covering infrastructure and land among others, has become a tool for public oversight. An integrity assessment of the municipal enterprise Hospital No. 1 was conducted, and most of the recommendations implemented, including those related to enhancing transparency and integrity. The Integrity Plan of the Zhytomyr City Council for 2025–2026 has been approved. A pilot project to improve technical supervision of construction has been launched.
During the visit, the team also visited Lyceum No. 23 named after M. Ocheret, where the canteen was modernised as part of the state subvention. The modernisation project was conducted under the supervision of EUACI’s experts to enhance transparency and minimise corruption risks. The construction process of this canteen lived up to the high standards of our experts. The result speaks for itself: a bright, modern canteen where students actually want to spend their lunch break. The EUACI Head Allan Pagh Kristensen presented the lyceum principal with a certificate for following rules of integrity.
The day concluded in company of 150 young inhabitants of Zhytomyr with a screening of the documentary “After the Era of Silence”, produced with the support of the EUACI. It was followed by an open conversation about how anti-corruption change happens not only at the level of legislation, but in real cities and schools. Two NABU detectives, the Head of the Department of Family, Youth and Sport and the Head of EUACI answered questions from a very enthusiastic audience that had many relevant questions.
