On 26-27 February, Michael Ralph, Advisor to the Deputy Director-General on Regional and Urban Policy, European Commission, visited Cherkasy to see the best projects implemented in the Cherkasy Oblast at the expense of the State Fund for Regional Development.

According to Michael Ralph, the Cherkasy Oblast was recommended for his visit as one of the leading oblasts in regional development projects’ implementation. In particular, 47 projects for a sum of over UAH 200 million were implemented with the support of the State Fund for Regional Development during 2015-2017. The projects focused on energy efficiency of healthcare and educational institutions, development of sports infrastructure, purchase of equipment for communal facilities, provision of settlements with potable water.

Michael Ralph began his visit to Cherkasy with participation in the round table meeting “The Best Practices of Implementing Regional Development Projects in the Cherkasy Oblast” held at the Cherkasy Local Government Development Centre, established with the support of the U-LEAD with Europe Programme and MinRegion.

Roman Karmannik and Serhiy Danylenko, representatives of the Regional Development Department of the Cherkasy Oblast State Administration, Serhiy Slynko, Hryhorii Pererva, Serhiy Honchar and Oksana Savitska, experts of the Cherkasy LGDC, and Lyubov Ropalo, representative of the Cherkasy Regional Development Agency, told about the achievements of the Cherkasy Oblast in the implementation of the regional development projects.

Michael Ralph also visited the Cherkasy city gymnasium No 9 (“Improvement of the material and technical base of innovative schools of the Cherkasy Oblast” project), Taras Shevchenko oblast theater (project on emergency restoration and reconstruction of the theater), perinatal centre of the oblast hospital (reconstruction of outpatient clinic for the centre), oblast oncology centre (“Creation of a network of “Women's Health” preventive screening centres” on the basis of the healthcare institutions of the Cherkasy Oblast) and facilities of the Bilozirska AH (project on the overhaul of premises for Administrative Service Centre and acquisition of passport-issue equipment for it).