Regional projects to be implemented at the expense of Sector Policy Support Programme of the European Union were presented in Kyiv.

These are 70 regional start-ups in 16 oblasts – regional development projects that have become the winners of the competition and won the opportunity to receive funding from the EU Sector Policy Support Programme, attracted to the state budget. Most winning projects come from the Lviv Oblast – 12 and the Khmelnytskyi Oblast – 10. Besides, 10 projects of the Ministry of Education and Science are among the winners as well. The Mykolayiv, Donetsk, Rivne, Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Cherkasy, Luhansk Oblasts successfully defended one project each. The Ministry of Agrarian Policy and MinRegion also won in the competition with a project each. The total amount of financing is UAH 616.1 million.

The presentation of the projects took part with participation of Hennadii Zubko, Vice Prime Minister – Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Communal Services of Ukraine, Frederik Coene, Head of Section “Economic Cooperation, Social and Regional Development”, EU Delegation to Ukraine, and representatives of the Oblast State Administrations and project developers.

“Having won in a competitive selection, the winners got a unique opportunity, with the support of the state, to implement projects, starting with the idea. But cool ideas, with calculated final indicators. The main goal of all projects, as well as our decentralisation reform, is the development of human potential!” noted Hennadii Zubko.

He emphasised that most of the winning projects were developed in such important areas as innovative economy and investment, rural areas’ and human potential development. In his opinion, they are the powerful pillar that allows to develop all life sectors.

“There are many projects in the field of tourism development among the winning ones. This is an important direction. Where tourism projects are being implemented, real investments are arriving, new technologies are being involved, new businesses are being opened, new services with new jobs are created,” said Hennadii Zubko.

Another direction is all-Ukrainian solidarity. “This is an issue of the unity of the state, and it is extremely relevant. In the face of Russian aggression and internal political tension, the issue of solidarity comes to the fore. For without solidarity the further movement and development of Ukraine as a successful European state is impossible!” said the official.

It should be mentioned that on 19 July 2016 an Additional Agreement to the Agreement on Financing of the Sector Policy Support Programme – Support to Ukraine’s Regional Policy (ENPI / 2013 / 024-517) was signed between the Government of Ukraine and the European Commission. Due to this additional agreement, Ukraine received budget support of reforms in the field of regional development and decentralisation from the EU. Ukraine received the first tranche of EUR 23 million – more than UAH 651 million. That is, another financial resource and a tool for the development of regions appeared. This resource should work as efficiently and transparently as possible for the development of regions, and the regions should compete to get it. Therefore, a regional project competition was announced. The main criterion is that each project, as a result of its implementation, should reach the growth of regional competitiveness and regional human development indices.