First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine - Minister of Economy of Ukraine Oleksiy Lyubchenko took part in a session of the Chamber of Local Authorities of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities in Khmelnytskyi. The event was chaired by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy with the participation of the Head of the Office of the President Andriy Yermak, the Deputy Head of the Office of the President Kyrylo Tymoshenko and representatives of local and regional authorities.

"The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities is a platform for dialogue between national and local authorities. The work within the Congress will be another step in the process of implementing local government reform, expert cooperation in addressing important regional issues and discussing socio-economic processes taking place on the ground. As a result of decentralization, local authorities have received both managerial and financial opportunities to ensure the successful development of regions, and the interaction between the center and self-government bodies within the Congress will allow them to be implemented as effectively as possible in the interests of communities", Oleksiy Lyubchenko commented.

The First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine also stressed that the Presidium of the Congress will work every month, so each community will be able to express their views on pressing issues.

According to the First Deputy Prime Minister, the Ministry of Economy is currently working on a new model of economic development and identifying growth points. Territorial communities are drivers of national economic growth, so the Ministry of Economy supports the strengthening of the role of communities and their development. Due to positive changes in tax and budget legislation, community budgets, in addition to additional financial resources, have received additional powers. He also noted the importance of effective use of international technical assistance funds for projects aimed at developing community infrastructure.

The congress participants touched upon a number of issues relevant to local authorities, in particular, the transfer of vocational schools to communal ownership, reforming the system of architectural and construction control, preparation for the new heating season and energy efficiency.