Ukraine’s reconstruction, crisis management and the EU budget will be the focus of the EU Committee of the Regions (CoR) plenary session on 24 and 25 May. The session will be followed by an international conference on “Strengthening the Role of Local and Regional Governments in Ukraine’s Recovery and Reconstruction Process, and on the Road to EU Membership”. The event is organised in cooperation with the Ukrainian, Swiss and UK governments, the OECD, and the European Commission, the CoR announced in a statement. The conference will produce recommendations that will be discussed by the EU states and institutions that will attend the London Ukraine Recovery Conference on 21 and 22 June. The document builds on the principles agreed at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Lugano, Switzerland, last year, and at the International Summit of Cities and Regions in Kyiv, Ukraine, last April. In particular, European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič will hold a debate on how local, regional, national and European authorities can work together to strengthen the EU’s resilience to natural disasters. The CoR will adopt recommendations on the subject. The financial difficulties related to the response to the war in Ukraine and the pandemic will also be the focus of a debate on the EU budget. Finally, European Commissioner for Equalities Helena Dalli will take part in a “debate on promoting equality, diversity and inclusion at local and regional level” to mark the EU Diversity Month.