The development of multi-level governance (MLG) is one of the important directions of Ukraine’s European integration, as reflected in the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. With this in mind, the article analyses the strategic goal of ‘building effective multi-level governance’ aimed at achieving the goal of the State Strategy for Regional Development for 2021-2027. It is noted that, despite the proven practices of MLG, its development in Ukraine is hampered by obstacles related to institutional problems. As a result of political confrontation and the rejection of decentralization by some political forces, the reform of local self-government and territorial organization of power has not yet been finalized. The unreformed system of public administration in the region, due to the inability of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to amend the Constitution of Ukraine (in terms of decentralization), contradicts the principles of the MLG. As a result, the region has not become a full-fledged subject of regional policy and regional development. Significant problems related to the uncertainty of the rayon’s mission and function in the new model of territorial organization of power have not been resolved. These issues need to be addressed both under martial law and in the post-war period. In view of the permanent existential threat from Russia, Ukrainian statecrafters are faced with the task of forming a model of public administration that is adequate to current challenges and threats, primarily of a security nature, and that would ensure Ukraine’s democratic development towards full membership in the EU and NATO. It should be based on and develop the principles of MLG, which were successfully tested in the decentralization reform of 2014-2020 and in the process of self-organization of Ukrainians during the critical period of threat to statehood - the Russian-Ukrainian war. Only such an approach can guarantee the dynamic reconstruction of Ukraine and its further integration into the circle of Western democracies. 

multi-level governance, regional policy, state strategy of regional development, decentralization, territorial organization of power, region, subregion, local self-government