Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Oleksiy Kuleba met with Georg Milbradt, Special Envoy of the German Government to Ukraine for Decentralization, Good Governance and Public Service.
The interlocutors discussed the decentralization process in Ukraine and the steps to be taken to complete the relevant reform, including changes to legislation both at this stage and after the end of martial law.
Oleksiy Kuleba thanked Georg Milbradt and Sören Herbst, Head of the U-LEAD with Europe Multi-Level Governance Department, for their systematic assistance in implementing reforms in Ukraine, as well as for the support of the German people in Ukraine's fight against Russian aggression.
He emphasized that despite the war, our country is moving forward and improving mechanisms that strengthen the role of local self-government and at the same time introduce oversight of the legality of decisions made at the community level.
In particular, the Deputy Head of the Presidential Office informed international partners of the decision of the Parliamentary Committee on the Organization of State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning to recommend that the Verkhovna Rada adopt in the second reading draft law No. 4298, which will strengthen decentralization processes and at the same time ensure the balance of public administration.
This document was created in cooperation with representatives of the Council of Europe, who provided their recommendations on the compliance of the proposed amendments to the legislation with European principles and values.
Georg Milbradt, for his part, emphasized his commitment to help develop and improve local self-government in Ukraine.
"Local self-government has made Ukraine more resilient in resisting Russian aggression. Ukraine has chosen a European future. Completion of the decentralization reform and further strengthening of local self-government is crucial to achieve this goal," he said.
Oleksiy Kuleba noted that it is crucial not to reduce the amount of assistance to Ukraine, in particular, the assistance aimed at restoring, reconstructing and modernizing our country.
"I am pleased that this year our countries are organizing the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC 2024), which is one of the key platforms for mobilizing such assistance. The event will focus on the role of local self-government in the post-war recovery of Ukraine," he said.
The interlocutors also discussed the activities of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the President of Ukraine. This is a platform for communication that brings together all branches of government and provides an opportunity for communities to communicate with the central government, as well as to resolve problematic issues under martial law.