Council of Europe supports initiative of Ministry of Regional Development to open network of offices for local self-government reform in Ukraine

The ceremony to sign a joint Declaration on cooperation to strengthen local self-government in Ukraine took place in Strasbourg on Friday.

The document was inked by Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine, Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Utilities of Ukraine Hennadii Zubko and Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjørn Jagland.

The parties confirmed the need to decentralize power in full compliance with the international obligations of Ukraine and in harmonization with European standards, stressing "among the principal obstacles to decentralization an excessive division of territorial communities in Ukraine".

The Ministry of Regional Development and the Council of Europe agreed "to cooperate within their competence to ensure functioning of a network comprising 25 offices to facilitate introduction of reforms in the areas of local self-government, decentralization of executive power in order to strengthen institutional, administrative and expert support of the reform at the local and regional levels".