On 30^th September round table “Reform of local self-governance – from centralization to democracy, or…?!” took place in UKRINFORM.

The event was organized by CO Analytical and research centre “Institute of town” and Civic platform “”Decentralization – self-organization – development”. International Renaissance Foundation, in the framework of the project “Legislative activities of power: monitoring, public expert assessment and social impact”, provided financial support.

The discussion was initiated by expert centers and independent experts, the members of Civic platform “Decentralization – self-organization – development”, informal expert association, aimed at coordination of activities and concentration of efforts of experts in the sphere of legislation on regional development, local self-governance and participatory democracy.

Representatives of All-Ukrainian associations of local self-governing bodies, Administration of President of Ukraine, relevant parliament committees and factions, technical assistance projects and programs working in Ukraine in the sector of local self-governance, people’s deputies took part in the discussion.

During the discussion, it was emphasized that current administrative system has run its course and that without administrative and territorial and local self-governance reform, it is hardly possible to establish effective and efficient power, able to ensure country’s movement towards Europe. The Concept of local self-governance and territorial administration reforming (in the edition of September 2012) was developed by working group, which included representatives of Presidential Administration of Ukraine and executive power central bodies, associations of local self-governing bodies, Ukrainian and international experts. In the course of the work, absolute political consensus regarding the Reform’s content and timing was achieved.

In 2013 MINREGION conducted a great deal of work to clarify the Concept’s content among territorial communities. Still, after new Concept’s version was published, it became clear that it was essentially different from edition of 2012.  Although general principle of reforming of local self-governance and administrative and territorial structure remained the same, fundamental approaches and timeframe of reform’s implementation appeared to be absolutely different in different versions. If in the version of 2012, acceptable terms and concrete parameters were identified, 2013 edition proposes rather general and vague parameters and terms and terminations are dramatically shifted. Thus, 2013 edition, in fact, rejects reform back, i.e. to the stage of political discussions, while current implementation of reform is requiring transition to the stage of drafting the laws.

Because of the above, round table participants insisted on immediate launching of the reform on the basis of  the Concept of local self-governance and territorial administration reforming in the edition of 2012. As a result of discussion, an appeal to Viktor Yanukovych, President of Ukraine, Mykola Azarov, Prime Minister of Ukraine and people’s deputies was adopted re the draft Concept of local self-governance and territorial administration reforming in Ukraine.