MinRegion expresses hopes that the Parliament will continue to actively support the reform of local self-government and territorial organisation of power, said Vyacheslav Nehoda, First Deputy Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Communal Services, at the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine during an “hour of questions to the Government”. He thanked the parliamentarians for their support of decentralisation and urged them to unite and consider important draft laws, the adoption of which will open the way for a new reform phase.

“We are approaching the time, when we have to act decisively. Regular local elections in 2020 should take place on a new territorial basis of hromadas and rayons. The current administrative structure was adopted in the Soviet Union period and does not meet contemporary needs. It is necessary to adopt not only the law on the principles of the administrative-territorial structure, but also the relevant amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine. We hoped that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine would decide on this and would reserve the legal opportunity to introduce changes still in this convocation. But everything depends on you,” said Vyacheslav Nehoda, referring to the Members of the Parliament.

He also informed that following the instructions of the Prime Minister of Ukraine, the activity of two Chernivtsi Oblast’s rayon state administrations, in which regard the complaints on reform blocking were received from local residents, will be inspected.