The Government approved a plan of measures to intensify a local governance reform and state support for the process of consolidation of territorial communities. The project was designed to develop the Government Priority Action Plan for 2017 and the Medium-Term Government Priority Action Plan up to 2020.

"It is important for us in the framework of the reform to stimulate communities to provide better administrative and social services, to increase their legal, organizational and financial capacity, to fully implement the provisions of the European Charter of Local Self-Government," said the Vice Prime Minister/Minister for Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Utilities of Ukraine Hennadii Zubko, commenting on the draft order.

He announced that the Plan clearly determines the responsible actors and the timing of the implementation of the measures.

According to him, a number of bills should be elaborated before the end of the current year. "In particular, bills on state control over the conformity of decisions by local self-government bodies with the Constitution and legislation; on extending of powers of rural councils of the consolidated communities with regards to social protection of children; on devolving powers by executive authorities to local self-government bodies; on approval of the list and composition of hospital districts of the regions", explained Hennadii Zubko.

The Government will also provide support in the Verkhovna Rada for the bills on the functioning of rayon councils, extension of powers of local self-government bodies in land administration, local government service, regulation of urban development activities, better availability of administrative services in the field of state registration of civil status acts for the citizens.