Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak held a meeting of the Presidium of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the President of Ukraine, at which preparations for the next meeting of the Congress were discussed and its agenda was approved.
"Topics of the agenda of the next meeting of the Congress are proposed. The first: the heating season of 2023-2024, namely, the operation of the life support systems of our communities and critical energy infrastructure facilities in the autumn-winter period," Yermak said.
He said that the coming winter may be more difficult than the previous one, because the challenges – both security and infrastructural – persist.
"Energy generation must be stable, critical infrastructure facilities must be protected from being damaged from the sky, centralized heat, electricity, water and gas supply must be provided for all citizens. Therefore, it is important for us to compare notes of the central and local authorities and coordinate efforts to ensure a stable passage of the cold season," the head of the Office of the President said.
The second item on the agenda of the upcoming meeting of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the President of Ukraine will concern the international policy of our state.
"In particular, it is progress in implementing the recommendations of the European Commission for the start of negotiations on joining the EU, international security guarantees for Ukraine and the role of local self-government in promoting the narrative of Ukrainian victory in the world," Yermak said.
According to him, all members of the Congress should understand the importance of shaping a unified Ukrainian position in communication with the outside world.
"The more unity we demonstrate to the outside, the more integral we will be perceived abroad, the more extensive and decisive the support for Ukraine in the world will be," the head of the President's Office said.
He said that at the Congress meeting, all its members will be informed about Ukraine's current steps at the international level and on the way to European and Euro-Atlantic integration. Separate attention will be paid to the results of the Vilnius NATO Summit and the beginning of the active work of the Ukraine-NATO Council.
The third item on the agenda of the next meeting of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities is implementation of state and local budgets.
"The public discussion that has developed recently requires attention to this issue at the highest level. We must clearly outline priorities and establish a position on the reasonable, effective and motivated use of budget funds in response to the challenges of the martial law. Our Congress has already proven that it is an effective platform for frank, open communication between representatives of the central and local authorities," Yermak said.
Deputy Head of the Office of the President Andriy Sybiha said that representatives of several international organizations, including the Secretary General of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, US Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Geoffrey Payette, ambassadors of the G7 states and others will also join the next meeting of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the President.
The agenda of the next meeting of the Congress, which should take place in the near future, was approved by the decision of the presidium members of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the President of Ukraine.
Presidium members also heard information about the implementation of the decisions of the previous meeting of the Congress, which took place in Lviv at the beginning of March.
Deputy Head of the Office of the President Oleksiy Kuleba said that a wide range of issues were discussed and several tasks aimed at strengthening the resilience of our state were defined. In particular, it was about supporting communities and ensuring the ability of local authorities to perform their functions.
"Eleven key tasks were identified, and almost all of them have been completed. There are three tasks at work," Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.
"There are many problems and challenges, and I am convinced that at the next session of the Congress, a whole layer of problems that local authorities have today will be raised – we will overcome them together," the head of government added.
At the end, Yermak spoke in favor of strengthening the work of the office of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the President, so that Ukrainian citizens could receive daily information about the activities of the Congress.
"Of course, we have a war today, there are security issues, but still, as far as possible, the central and local authorities should become close and understandable to people. Because everything we do, we do for the people and for the sake of the country," the head of the President's Office said.