Parliament has made the first real step towards the implementation of local self-government reform
On 17th June 2014 Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the Law “On cooperation of territorial communities”, which gave a new impetus to the implementation of the Concept of local self-governance and territorial power organization in Ukraine.
The Law is aimed at defining of organizational and legal framework of territorial communities’ cooperation, principles, forms and mechanisms of cooperation as well as its stimulation, funding and control.
According to the Law, cooperation takes the form of:
· delegation of one or several tasks/objectives from one subject/agent of cooperation to the other subjects/agents with simultaneous transfer of appropriate resources;
· implementation of joint projects, which presupposes the coordination of cooperation subjects’ activities and accumulation of joint resources for a determined period to conduct relevant activities;
· co-financing (maintenance) of enterprises, institutions and organizations that belong to communal property (infrastructural objects) by subjects/agents of cooperation;
· establishment of joint management/governance body to jointly execute responsibilities by agents of cooperation within legal framework.
Thus, the Law makes it possible for the state to encourage communities’ capacity building to ensure the implementation of a wider range of responsibilities and contribute to their preparation to implement local government reform in its entirety. Thus, prerequisites to improve the quality of administrative, public and social services for territorial communities’ members will be created. Read more at http://iportal.rada.gov.ua/news/Novyny/Povidomlennya/94360.html
It should be noted that the bill was drafted by the working group on reform of local self-government and territorial organization of power under the leadership of the Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Communal Services of Ukraine Vladimir Groisman. Representatives of the Swiss-Ukrainian project "Decentralization Support in Ukraine» (DESPRO) also took part in its work.