The Council of Europe on the whole supports the draft law “On the Principles of the Administrative and Territorial Structure of Ukraine” (No 8051), which is one of the key in the package of draft laws on the reform of local self-government and territorial organisation of power, as stated in the Council of Europe's conclusion on the draft law, the key points of which have been voiced today at the meeting of the thematic round table meeting of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on State Building, Regional Policy and Local Self-Government in the city of Bolhrad (Odesa Oblast).

“On the whole, the Council of Europe supports this draft law. It highly appreciates the fact that it defines the principles of the administrative and territorial structure of Ukraine (including the most important principle of omnipresence, which should be the norm and which deviation is allowed only within the framework of specific and substantiated legislation) and the main mechanisms of its change. The best solution would be to pass this law after amending the Constitution on decentralisation; but since their approval in the nearest future is not foreseen, it is worth expecting that this law will still be adopted and it will begin to operate within the framework of the current Constitution,” the conclusion of the Council of Europe has it.

According to Vyacheslav Nehoda, First Deputy Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Communal Services, the new procedure for resolving the issues of the administrative and territorial structure, defined by the draft law, is only an order, that is, it defines clear procedures, as well as who can solve it, and in no way changes the existing system of the administrative and territorial structure.

“Everyone should understand that the existing administrative and territorial structure of Ukraine is not the subject of legal regulation of this draft law. It regulates clear rules for resolving issues of the administrative and territorial structure. Ukraine has been implementing the reform of local self-government and territorial organisation of power for the fourth year so far, and definition of clear procedures for addressing the issues of the administrative and territorial structure is one of its tasks,” said Vyacheslav Nehoda.

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