Further decentralisation of power in the country and high-quality fulfillment of the reform tasks require proper legislative support. The adoption of a number of important reform-related draft laws by the Parliament will give decentralisation a new momentum and create a legal basis for the further development and enhancement of the capacity of local self-government at all levels, said Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman during a workshop on topical issues of decentralisation.

According to him, almost two dozen draft laws on the development of the reform of local self-government and territorial organisation of power, decentralisation of powers, and capacity building of amalgamated hromadas await their consideration and adoption by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Pursuant to the Head of Government, each of them “is a connecting link of the comprehensive and fundamental reform, the quality of which depends on the effectiveness of changes in key areas of life of the society.”

“In the course of four years of decentralisation in the country, it has always found support in the Parliament. During this time, even those who did not understand the importance of the reform, or did not want to understand it, changed their stance, observing the results of the reform in a short time, and became its supporters. I appeal to the MPs of Ukraine to currently unite around important draft laws of the reform. We need to jointly improve the situation when the necessary legislation follows the development of the territories, hromadas’ development,” urged the Prime Minister of Ukraine.

Among the priorities, Volodymyr Groysman emphasised the draft law, which will identify cities of oblast significance as capable hromadas, allowing them to become active participants in the process of voluntary amalgamation of hromadas.

“The cities of oblast significance are the least active in the process of hromadas’ amalgamation. It is wrong. They are the centres of economic activity, and it is logical for the surrounding hromadas to join them. We propose an effective mechanism for this: to legislatively designate cities of oblast significance as capable hromadas, enabling village and settlement hromadas to join them without holding elections to the city council of such a hromada, as is the case in other AHs,” said the Prime Minister.

He noted that a governmental draft law “On the Principles of the Administrative and Territorial Structure of Ukraine” is no less important.

“It does not foresee changes in the current administrative and territorial structure, but only determines the procedure for such changes. It also allows for the introduction of a register of administrative-territorial units, which is not currently being conducted in our state, and identifies the actors of the process of resolving of administrative and territorial structure issues.”

It should be noted that in early February the Head of Government said that accomplishment of the decentralisation reform was among the top priorities, stressing that for this purpose it is necessary to carry out constitutional changes, consolidate local self-government at all levels, starting from the hromada and finishing with the oblasts.