Dnipropetrovsk region and Catalonia now have a partnership memorandum. The document was signed in Kyiv by the Head of the Regional Military Administration Oleksandr Hanzha and the President of the Government of Catalonia Salvador Illa.
The meeting took place at the Ministry of Communities, Territories and Internal Displaced Persons Affairs with the participation and support of Minister Vitalii Bezghin, as well as the Ambassador of Spain to Ukraine Adela Díaz Bernardés. Ms. Díaz Bernardés presented copies of her credentials on August 31, so this meeting became one of the first events with her participation in her new position.
Together with Salvador Illa, the Minister for EU and Foreign Affairs of Catalonia Jaume Duch arrived in Ukraine.
The cooperation began with an acquaintance with Mr. Duch two years ago. In September 2024, representatives of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council met with him in Barcelona, presented Dnipropetrovsk region, and signed a memorandum with ACCIÓ, the Catalan trade and investment agency. In June this year, a second meeting took place at the reconstruction conference in Gdańsk. After Gdańsk, the Regional Military Administration began preparing an interregional memorandum — within two months the document was agreed upon and prepared for signing.
This is a successful example of joint teamwork between the Regional Council and the Regional Military Administration: the Regional Council finds partners and builds relationships, while the administration translates the agreements reached into an official framework and implemented memorandums.
Salvador Illa became the first head of a Spanish region to visit Ukraine since the start of the full-scale war.
Spain consistently supports Ukraine and the Ukrainian President on the international stage, and this meeting was yet another confirmation of this position.
Catalonia is an autonomous region of Spain with its own government, parliament, and police. Thousands of Ukrainians who left because of the war have found refuge in Catalonia. In total, about eight million people live there, and the region accounts for approximately one-fifth of the Spanish economy.
Before heading the Government of Catalonia, Salvador Illa was the Minister of Health of Spain. His party remains one of the main political forces on which Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, a consistent supporter of Ukraine, relies. Therefore, this partnership carries weight beyond Catalonia as well.
The memorandum will be in effect until the end of 2030. The main areas of cooperation are: energy, rehabilitation, industry, and preparing communities to work with EU funds.
The next step is a two-year plan with specific projects. The EU is currently forming its budget for 2028–2034, and at the same time, the Ukrainian side, together with Catalan partners, is identifying projects so that, once financing opens, there will be a ready package for the reconstruction of Dnipropetrovsk region and support for the region’s communities.
More about the cooperation between the region and Spain can be found via the link.
