The Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal has announced the adoption of long-term plans for the formation of communities in the remaining three regions - Zaporizhia, Lviv and Odesa.

Opening the Government meeting, the Prime Minister, in particular, noted that the approval of long-term plans for the last three areas would be an important stage in the decentralization reform.

"The remaining three long-term plans of the regions have been approved, except for the occupied territories. I am talking about the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. The temporarily occupied territories of Donbas are included in the plan," the Prime Minister stressed.

According to him, the approval of long-term plans throughout the country is an "engine" of change for individual communities and the country as a whole. "Long-term plans are the basis of future territorial communities and they will now cover 100% of the territory. We are translating the principle "a strong community - a successful country" into action".

In turn, for the communities, according to Denys Shmyhal, this will become not only a new level of responsibility but also a new level of opportunities, "when people choose how it is more convenient for them to live, where to build a school, where to open a kindergarten. The moderator of life at the local level is from now on local residents, not an official who might be not so interested in arranging a comfortable life for the community."

"Certainly, this is only one part of the decentralization reform, which will be further implemented and, I am convinced, will be completed successfully, because society demands it," said Denys Shmyhal, adding that the country is facing no less important challenges in this direction.