During his working visit to Vinnytsia region, the First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oleksandr Korniienko met with the community leaders of the region. Topics discussed included the financing of local budgets, the unblocking of payments, and the drafting of the state budget for the coming year.

According to Oleksandr Korniienko, the legislative measures that have been adopted by Parliament should help Ukraine obtain international funding, which in turn will gradually help resolve payment issues. The discussion also covered revenue from personal income tax, the repayment of utility bill arrears, and increased funding for the State Fund of Regional Development.

Funds from the State Fund of Regional Development are to be allocated primarily to ‘community resilience projects’: bomb shelters, infrastructure protection, and energy security. The matters of educational subsidies and the remuneration of staff at pre-higher vocational education institutions are considered separately.

The meeting participants also discussed opportunities available through international programmes, in particular Interreg. According to Oleksandr Korniienko, around a thousand project managers are currently being trained in Ukraine. They are intended to help communities engage more effectively with international partners and attract funding for water supply systems, wastewater treatment plants, energy infrastructure, and social facilities.

He emphasised that international projects are currently mainly concentrated in large cities, although opportunities for their implementation also exist in smaller communities.

During his visit, Oleksandr Korniienko also met with representatives of the agricultural sector. Topics of discussion included logistics, security, energy, state support, taxation, the development of livestock farming, and ensuring the interests of Ukrainian producers are taken into account in negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU.

He also held separate discussions with representatives of youth councils, student self-government groups, and communities in the region on the participation of young people in community life and their involvement in decision-making.