Modern challenges form a new paradigm – the International Conference on Regional Development took place in Kiev
The International Conference “Strategies of Regional Development of Ukraine: Monitoring and Challenges of Implementation” was held in Kyiv on February 20-21. Three panel discussions on regional policy were held in the context of new challenges during the first day. The next day, foreign experts spoke about the European experience of realizing the strategic advantages of regions for Ukraine. Among the participants were foreign experts, representatives of the Association of Regional Analytical Centers, regional state administrations and central authorities, deputies of all levels.
The welcoming word tookGennady Maxak, President of the Polissya Fund of International and Regional Research, after which the discussion part began.
“Regional policy is the most important policy of the European Union that creates jobs and influences the competitive position of the region. In the event of compliance, Ukraine can receive 55 million euros for regional development,” – in such words he set up to work participants in the eventDomenik Papenheim, Head of the Regional and Local Development/Decentralization of EU Delegation in Ukraine.
Philosophical approaches to the implementation of regional policy were voiced by an expert of the Institute of Civil SocietyAnatoly Tkachuk, which believes that inter -regional differences, nevertheless, create opportunities for development. “Psychological properties should also be taken into account in the economy. For example, in those territories where hostilities take place, the majority of the population wants to switch to a planned economy and has a sustained desire to return the Soviet Union. It is necessary to count with this,” the speaker said.
Eugene Udod, representative of the Ukrainian Association of District and Regional Councils, Chairman of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council, for the main purpose set the disabilities of the development of territories. But in contrast to the existing risks, it opposes the creation of a model in which people will really be able to implement transregional projects whose experience is already available.
“Any transformations can only happen after the reform of the administrative-territorial system-the opinionYuri Ganushchak, Director of the Institute of Territories Development. – Any investment in the territory without increasing the responsibility of the territorial community will not have effective results. ”
“It is necessary to put in the paradigm of regional policy the transition from closed to open access, where everyone, endowed with a power resource, puts national interests ahead,” – saidAnatoly Matvienko, People’s Deputy, member of the Parliamentary Committee on Budget, which is a supporter of a human-centric model of regional policy strategy. Supporting the previous speaker, Mr. Matvienko expressed the opinion that local government reform is impossible without basic transformations. In addition, in his opinion, voluntary association will not become a panacea, as this requires stimulation.
With the end of speeches of the speakers, representatives of regional councils, as well as public experts, were actively involved in the discussion.
Yuri Tretyak, a representative of the project “Supporting Regional Development Policy in Ukraine” began the second panel during which he stressed that new regional policy should be carried out taking into account the individual needs of the regions. “The State Strategy 2020, thanks to the Law of Ukraine” On the Principles of State Regional Policy, “correlates with the goals that Europe has set, and will finally have a plan of implementation,” the expert said.
Head of the Department of Interaction with Local Authorities of the Department for Local Self-Government and Territorial Organization of the Ministry of Regional Development, Construction and Housing and Communal Services of UkraineLyudmila DomantsovaDuring her speech she reminded that projects for 2015-2016 should be selected by May 1.
Continuing the discussion,Anatoly TkachukHe expressed concern about the lack of work on regional development strategies in some regions of Ukraine. “If in 2015 they do not go into work, then in 2016 they will not be funded,” the expert says. “In turn, financial support will be provided only by viable projects.”
This thought subsequently continued andVasily Kashevsky, expert of the project “Supporting Regional Development Policy in Ukraine”, who believes that there are little on the ground of interesting and breakthrough ideas that would develop the region.
“One of the key problems of implementing regional development strategy is the generation of ideas and selection of projects aimed at the development of the region,” saysAlexander Sergienko, Director of the City Institute of Analytical and Research Center. “However, it is good that the working group has already gathered and the process of socio-economic analysis has started.”
During the third panel, most of them were the experts of the Association of Regional Analytical Centers, discussing the content and form of strategies developed in the regions. As far as it is possible to turn this document from ritual into functional discussedGalina Vasylchenko, Public Center for Business Initiatives,Love rolled, NGO “Strategic Research Agency”,Vitaliy Lebedyuk, Ostroh city public organization “School of Political Analytics” Polis “and others. Among the conclusions of this block were dominated by positive trends in terms of forming new approaches to the creation of a document.
In the framework of this panel discussion also took the wordAlexander Smirnov, Deputy Chairman of the Nikolaev Regional Council, as well asSergey Tatusyak, deputy of the Vinnytsia Regional Council, Chairman of the Vinnytsia Regional Association of Local Self -Government Bodies. The speakers agreed that if in the process of presenting the regional development strategy, the developers go to people, having different points of view on the process of its implementation, then the implementation is doomed to failure.
The second day of the International Conference on Regional Development – the European experience of implementing the strategic advantages of the regions for Ukraine – started Hungarian expertShandor ColesandPetr Wagner, Czech expert. The speakers shared their experience in the organization of regional policy of their countries.
“There are 100 mayors left in the process of local government reform out of 600, so the process of transformation was difficult,” said LatvietsEdwins Bartkevich. “However, now we are again forced to talk again about the need to continue the administrative refos.”
Practical Tips for Developing and Implementing European Sample Strategies have providedDmitry Sosunov, Lithuanian expert. “When designing strategies, form a group no more than 8 participants. If there are other interested, present the results. It is the most constructive path,” Mr Sosunov assures. In addition, the expert advised not to include in working groups for the development of politicians, mayors, directors and heads of structural units, to use additional services in terms of involvement of experts in the process and to identify the specific person responsible for developing the strategy.
Zornitsa Popova, decentralization/local self -government expert, told about regional development in the context of the Balkan crisis of the twentieth century: “When I first stayed in Kosovo, it seemed to me that reconciliation would never be reconciliation between the sides. But the cooperation between antagonistic groups is possible.
The event is conducted within the framework of the project “Regional Policy in Ukraine: Public Monitoring of Regional Development Strategies”, which is implemented by the Polissya Fund of International and Regional Studies (Chernihiv) in partnership with the Association Soviets, the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine with the support of the European Union and the Swiss-Ukrainian Project for Decentralization in Ukraine (DESPRO).
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