President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the creation of a Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, which should promote the establishment of qualitatively new relations between central and local authorities.
"Relations between the center and communities must become completely new, I would say - qualitatively new. They must be constructive, transparent and effective. To this end, we are creating a Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the President of Ukraine. It will become a platform for dialogue and decisions," the President said during a speech at a meeting of the Communities and Territories Development Council within the All-Ukrainian Forum "Ukraine 30".
The President noted that the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities will have its own permanent office, and its work should be as efficient as possible, not just "on paper".
According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the first global issue on which the new body should focus should be the preparation of the Municipal Code of Ukraine.
"There are different visions, different models of this document. I think that you will be able to develop a code that will contribute not only to the development of individual regions, but also to the strengthening of a unitary, indivisible Ukraine," the President said.
The President stressed that the central and local authorities are not competitors or rivals, but partners and one team, and this must be realized.
"When Ukraine is strong, prosperous and finally peaceful, we will all win. If not - we all, first of all you and I, will definitely lose. So let's interact, let's listen, let's talk, hear and help each other, work thinking not about the next elections, but about the next generations of Ukrainians," the Head of State urged.
For his part, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal noted that the reform of the administrative-territorial system is not only about additional opportunities, but also about responsibility for organizing one's own well-being on the ground.
“The financial and managerial opportunities provided by the reform have enabled communities to successfully implement local initiatives, and more and more communities continue to unleash their potential. Now, in the framework of decentralization, it is necessary to strengthen the interaction between public authorities and local self-government," the Prime Minister said.
