The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, announced the creation of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, which should contribute to the establishment of qualitatively new relations between the central and local authorities.
“Relations between the center and communities must become completely new, I said
qualitatively new. They should be constructive, transparent and effective. For this purpose, we are creating the Congress of local and regional authorities under the President of Ukraine. It will become a platform for dialogue and solutions,” said the Head of State during a speech at the meeting of the Council for the Development of Communities and Territories within the All-Ukrainian Forum “Ukraine 30”.
The President noted that the Congress of local and regional authorities will have its own permanent office, and its work should be as effective as possible, not just “on paper”.
According to Volodymyr Zelenskyi, the first global issue that the new body should focus on should be the preparation of the Municipal Code of Ukraine.
“There are different visions, different models of this document. I think that you will succeed in developing a code that will contribute not only to the development of individual regions, but also to the strengthening of a unitary, indivisible Ukraine,” the Head of State said.
The President emphasized that the central and local authorities are not competitors or rivals, but partners and one team, and this should be realized.
“When Ukraine is strong, flourishing, finally peaceful – we will all win. If not, all of us, first of all you and I, will definitely lose. So let’s interact, let’s listen, let’s talk, hear and help each other, work with the idea not about the next elections, but about the next generations of Ukrainians,” urged the Head of State.
For his part, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal noted that the reform of the administrative-territorial system is not only about additional opportunities, but also about responsibility for organizing one’s own well-being on the ground.
“Financial and management opportunities provided as a result of the reform allowed communities to successfully implement local initiatives, and more and more communities continue to reveal their potential. Now, within the framework of decentralization, it is necessary to strengthen the interaction between state authorities and local self-government,” the head of government said.
