Cooperation of hromadas is an effective tool for the development of territories, created by the Government in the framework of the implementation of the conceptual objectives of the reform of local self-government. About six hundred hromadas are already using this tool. Over just the first month of 2018, 15 agreements on cooperation of hromadas have been concluded in Ukraine. As of today there are 133 such agreements, according to which hromadas cooperate in the spheres of housing and communal services, education, healthcare, social security, fire safety, etc. This is evidenced by the Monitoring of the process of decentralisation of power and local self-government reform, prepared by MinRegion.

This tool in mostly used by the Poltava Oblast (52 contracts). Instead, the hromadas of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Mykolayiv, Ternopil, and Kherson Oblasts have not yet signed any AH cooperation agreements.

“What does hromadas’ cooperation mean? First and foremost, it means new opportunities and prospects that were not available to local self-government some years ago. It is also a desire to change the quality of life in the territory entrusted to the management of a particular local head. The ability to think in perspective, to look for all possible options to solve problems faced by the hromada, and ability to agree with other AHs. Some hromadas have consolidated resources and, in cooperation with partner hromadas, have settled issues of waste collection and disposal, others have jointly purchased a mobile asphalt plant and now have well-maintained local roads. There are enough successful cooperation practices to look up to, as well as unresolved problems in hromadas. Today it is a no-win decision to ignore such an important tool as AH cooperation,” commented Vyacheslav Nehoda, First Deputy Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Communal Services.

He recalled that the state stimulation of cooperation of hromadas was determined at the legislative level.

Article 15 of the Law “On Coopertion of Hromadas” regulates that state stimulation of cooperation in carried out by:

1. provision of subventions to local budgets of cooperation parties in the priority areas of state policy;
2. transfer of state-owned facilities into the communal ownership of cooperation parties;
3. methodological, organisational and other support of the activity of the cooperation parties.

The state also stimulates cooperation in case if:

1. capability of cooperation parties to ensure the realisation of the powers determined by the law is strengthened;
2. additional resources, including financial, are involved in cooperation;
3. cooperation is carried out by more than three cooperation parties;
4. wide public participation in cooperation is ensured.

“Answers to the topical questions on the implementation of the Law of Ukraine “On Cooperation of Hromadas” are available HERE