Volodymyr Hroisman: Constitutional process designed to change Ukraine's system of power to be launched

The draft law "On Amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine" (regarding the powers of state and local governments), submitted by the President of Ukraine to the Verkhovna Rada and included in the agenda by the Parliament, contains quite dramatic changes as to strengthening of local self-government in Ukraine. Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine-Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Utilities Volodymyr Hroisman reported at a briefing.

"The joint work of the Government in the decentralization of power and the introduction by the President of this important document has launched the constitutional process designed to change the system of government in Ukraine, to implement a broad decentralization of power. I am convinced that this will enable hundreds, thousands of local communities of Ukraine to develop qualitatively their opportunities," emphasized Volodymyr Hroisman.

"This joint victory became possible thanks to the political will of the President, despite the fact that such changes substantially narrow the powers of the President as to local authorities, they have been submitted to the Parliament. I am convinced that further work of parliamentary factions as well as the parliamentary committee will allow us to reach a quick solution designed to allocate funds to people, local communities," stressed the Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine.

Volodymyr Hroisman thanked the MPs for the adoption in the first reading of two bills-"On a voluntary association of local communities" that will allow communities to unite on a voluntarily basis in order to settle jointly the issues of their territories, and the draft law "On the principles of state regional policy".

"This means that we start forming the state regional policy, we will develop significantly regional strategies, and we possess the support of our European partners. This year alone, the regional state policy has concentrated 55 million euros, which we can get to the budget and send these funds directly to local levels so as to implement infrastructure projects, as well as social and economic development ones", he added.