Verhovna Rada of Ukraine Committee on state construction and local self-governance in cooperation and with support of Swiss-Ukrainian Project “Decentralization Support in Ukraine” (DESPRO), Council of Europe and Municipal Governance and Sustainable Development Programme conducted a round table, during which a Draft Law “On Associations of Territorial Communities” was discussed.   

Mr. Oleksandr Omel’chenko, Head of the Committee said that Draft Law “On Associations of Territorial Communities” (registered as No9590) was aimed at identifying the clear mechanism of territorial communities’ unification, creating the joint bodies of local self-governance, forming the common budget and uniting their communal property.

According to deputy’s words, current system of local self-governing bodies, under existing administrative and territorial structure of Ukraine, does not always make it possible to form sufficient communities that possess the relevant material and financial resources necessary to effectively carry out their tasks and functions. Oleksandr Omel’chenko stressed the country faces the challenge related to complicated administrative and territorial units. He urged participants to listen to expert opinion of the Council of Europe, national associations of local self-governing bodies, representatives of state and local governments, scientists to obtain better results of Draft Law’s preliminary processing.

The participants of the discussion paid attention to the fact that in case of the Law’s adoption, average population of rural community would be about 9 000 persons, average number of settlements within rural community would amount for 16 and expected average community area would be about 400 square meters. It is also assumed that the majority of new communities will be established on the basis of rayons that existed in the USSR before the administrative-territorial reform of 1954-1960. This will save budget expenditure spent on governing bodies.

Commission on state construction and local self-governance of Ukrainian Association of rayon and Oblast councils consider that Draft Law “On Association of Territorial Communities” (No 9590) proposed by the Ministry of Regional Development, Construction and Housing of Ukraine shall be revised. It shall regulate all association’s procedures, clearly reveal the participation of governments in this process and determine the financial support provided by state. Amendments shall be, first of all, related to financial and economic self-sufficiency of communities, their readiness to implement the principle of subsidiarity within local self-governing bodies. For this purpose, according to the participants, appropriate changes shall be made in Constitution and in the Budget and Tax Codes.

Parliament Deputies, representatives of Cabinet of Ministers Secretariat, Ministry of Regional Development, Construction and Housing, Ministry of Justice, local self-governance bodies and their leading associations, political parties, community organizations of Ukraine, national and international experts and scientists took part in the round table.