Calpe Town Council reinforces its commitment to Ukraine at the Global Forum for Reconstruction held in Madrid
Calpe Town Council took part in the second edition of the Global Forum for the Reconstruction of Ukraine held in Madrid on 25 February, consolidating its involvement with the Ukrainian community residing in the municipality and its support for the peace and reconstruction process in the country.
Representing the mayoress, Ana Sala, was the Councillor for European Residents, Twinning and European Projects, Marco Bittner, who took part in a working day attended by around 30 Ukrainian mayors, as well as representatives of Spanish companies and institutions, with the aim of promoting specific economic, social and humanitarian cooperation projects.
Calpe's presence at this forum is part of the close relationship that the municipality maintains with the Ukrainian community, which comprises 1,447 registered residents, one of the largest foreign communities in the local register. The Town Council emphasises that this participation responds to the desire to convey to international decision-makers the reality of daily coexistence between the citizens of Calpe and the Ukrainian population settled in the town.
This commitment has recent precedents. In 2024, Calpe received an official visit from Ivan Pilyak, mayor of Skhidnytsia (Lviv province), within the framework of the agreement between the Federation of M
This commitment has recent precedents. In 2024, Calpe received an official visit from Ivan Pilyak, mayor of Skhidnytsia (Lviv province), as part of the agreement between the Federation of Municipalities of Madrid and the Mayors Club of Ukraine. That visit marked the beginning of an institutional relationship that the City Council has continued to cultivate over the years through ongoing dialogue and the exploration of possible areas of collaboration.
In this new edition of the Forum, Calpe has taken a further step by signing a declaration of friendship with the Ukrainian municipality of Chornomorsk, a port city on the Black Sea, in a ceremony presided over by its mayor, Vasyl Huliaiev. This document lays the foundations for future institutional collaboration between the two cities, with a view to moving towards a formal twinning. The exchange of symbolic gifts during the ceremony served to demonstrate the desire to continue this relationship over time and to translate it into specific projects.
At the same time, coinciding with the fourth anniversary of the start of the Russian invasion, Calpe Town Council has taken stock of the integration of the Ukrainian community in the municipality, highlighting the labour and social integration of many of these people, the creation of associations and mutual support groups, and the stable collaboration between the council and this group in the daily life of the town.
The Councillor for European Residents, Twinning and European Projects, Marco Bittner, pointed out that ‘to attract investment, we must provide security, and providing security begins with sending a clear message of fraternity and cordiality between the two countries. What the Spanish State does at the national level, we municipalities must do at the human and everyday level’