A meeting of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the President of Ukraine was held in Kropyvnytskyi.
“We have a range of very important issues – internal and external issues, that directly affect the lives of Ukrainian citizens, the lives of our Ukrainian communities, the life of our entire state,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
During the meeting, the parties discussed the potential of state programs in the energy sector, the creation of alternative energy sources, the preparation of the maximum number of educational institutions for offline work, and the cooperation with partners in the European Union.
“We need to take advantage of all the benefits offered by the European integration process. And this includes efforts at the level of political leadership, state institutions and also at the level of each community, because everyone in Ukraine needs proper interaction with the European Union,” the Head of State emphasized.
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi reported on the defensive actions of Ukrainian warriors in the Pokrovsk and Toretsk directions and on the situation in the border area. The Defense Forces are conducting an offensive in the Kursk region in order to create a security zone, stop the shelling from the territory of the Russian Federation and outpace the enemy.
Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak commended the partnership relations at the level of cities and regions and urged to intensify these efforts.
“Each region and each city should work on strengthening international relations. We need not just signed documents, but tangible results of partnerships. Technical assistance, joint projects, funds raised, development and implementation of local policies,” he said.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal informed the participants about the preparation of the energy system for the winter, in particular, about the allocation of additional funds for building capacities and strengthening the protection of energy facilities against Russian attacks. The Prime Minister paid special attention to the agricultural land inventory.
“23% of land is not registered in the cadaster. Today we are signing a memorandum to speed up this process. This will be a joint effort of the center and the regions. All land must be included in the cadaster, which will result in potential additional annual revenues to local budgets of almost UAH 28 billion,” Denys Shmyhal said.
Yuliia Svyrydenko, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, spoke about the implementation of projects for the development of alternative energy sources. Also, within the framework of the Congress meeting, a memorandum was signed on improving the energy sustainability of Ukrainian communities.
“Thanks to the cooperation of state authorities, local self-government bodies, and relevant associations, a significant increase in the number of thermally modernized buildings and solar power plants is expected,” Yuliia Svyrydenko said.
