Decentralization in Ukraine – European way, overcoming myths

One of the most comprehensive reforms, on the threshold of which Ukraine stands – decentralization reform. On the one hand, the reform is governed by the official document – the concept of reforming local self -government bodies and territorial organization of power in Ukraine, approved on April 1 this year. On the other hand, there are significant expectations of citizens who are far from the official document.

The plan for 2014 provides for amendments to the Constitution, the development of a number of acts of legislation, regulation of the system of administrative-territorial structure and its modeling, carrying out information and explanatory work. The body responsible for the reform is determined by the Ministry of Regional Development, Construction and Housing and Communal Services.

Despite the fact that the vast majority of the necessary documents are developed, there was almost no change at the legislative level. All the expectations for the legislative implementation of the reform are rely on the new parliament. But at the same time, it is quite low awareness of the broad groups that should take place in the life of the country.

As a result, the reform has already overgrown with various myths. The most common of which is the warning that its implementation requires large financial investments. You can often hear that reform will lead to large -scale release of personnel or even the decline of small villages and towns if they are deprived of village councils. It is best to deal with such myths on the example of practices that have already testified.

Although decentralization reform is a Ukrainian product, it should be emphasized that it is based on European experience. From the beginning of its implementation, the Polish model was taken as a basis. As a consequence, the main idea is a significant expansion of the powers of territorial communities. It is at the community level that provides quality and accessible administrative and social services, the formation of institutions of democracy, satisfaction of interests of citizens, reconciling the interests of the state and local self -government.

In the late 1990s, Poland began reforming a country that took place in three main areas: the political system, economic system and government. Administrative reform and territorial, as its continuation, became one of the most important tasks, in the course of which a change in the administrative division of the state, the introduction of new levels of self -government, reformatting the state administration. The number of legislative acts adopted for this purpose in Poland is counting dozens.

The main principle on which reform was based – the principle of subsidiarity, which is that the solution of public issues is as close to citizens as possible. Each level of self -government has its own competencies, income, property, accounts, administrative apparatus and obligatory tasks. In the absence of a hierarchy, the legislative and executive power is elected at the local level. Units of self -government at all levels have the rights of a legal entity. The government’s government apparatus is significantly reduced and controls self -government in terms of compliance with its actions by current legislation. As a result of the reform in Poland, a homogeneous government apparatus was created, which including its integration with the countries of the European Union.

Reform in Poland has been taking place for almost 10 years. It is obvious that Ukraine does not have such a stock of time, but instead has the opportunity to take advantage of the help of European friends. Currently, the main leader of European experience in Ukraine in the context of decentralization is Polish experts who are involved in the development of legislative acts in the format of the Polish-Ukrainian working group. Expert assistance is also provided by the German government through the German Society of the International Community. And most actively in this field is the Swiss-Ukrainian project of DESPRO “Support for decentralization in Ukraine”. In general, the list of European partners is much broader.

Therefore, today there is reason to state sufficient opportunities for the use of European experience in decentralization in Ukraine, and the issue will be more in the institutional capacity of state and local authorities to introduce this experience. And if in Poland it is possible to overcome the myths of decentralization reform, then we should go in us.

Vdovenko YS, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Association of Regional Analytical Centers.

Source: http://www.politika.cn.ua/