Reform of the Institute of Local Referendum: Participation of Citizens in Governance. Communication with the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on State Construction and Local Self -Government.

During April-May, the experts of the laboratory of legislative initiatives held a number of meetings with representatives of the Committee on State Construction and Local Self-Government, the purpose of which was to reconcile joint positions on the development of recommendations to Bill No. 7082 and a legitimate consideration of the proposals of the LZI in the preparation of the draft law.

Thus, during a meeting with the head of the Secretariat of the Committee Malyuga A.V. The prospect of adopting this bill was discussed during the 10th session of the Verkhovna Rada and the format of participation of LZi experts in the meetings of the working group of the Committee on Preparation of the draft law for the second reading. For objective reasons (preparation for the second reading of bills on “On Administrative Services”, “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine (on Recommendation Lists of Structural Divisions of Local State Administrations)”, etc.) during the 10th session, no meeting of the working group on the preparation of a bill on local referendum. The Committee plans to start work on this issue during the 11th session of the Verkhovna Rada.

Also during this time an informal meeting with the Deputy Chairman of the Committee on State Construction and Local Self -Government Klyuchkovsky YB. The meeting was a change in the formulation of some issues for discussion in focus groups and additional options for expert survey.

In addition, experts of the LZI Igor Kohut and Alexander Zaslavsky became members of the working group on local democracy and self -organization of the population of the Coordinating Council on the development of civil society, established in accordance with the Decree of President No. 212/2012. One of the tasks of this working group is “To support the draft law on local referendum No. 7082 in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. There are currently two meetings of the working group: May 21 and July 22. It was decided that the main activity will be focused on the following two issues in the near future: 1) providing support in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of the draft Law No. 7282 on a local referendum (the head of this thematic subgroup was determined by I. Kogut) and 2) Development and submission to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine General meetings (conferences) of members of the territorial community at the place of residence (the head of the thematic subgroup – O. Orlovsky, Director of the Program “Civil Society and proper Governance” of the International Renaissance Foundation).

During the second meeting, the LZI on a local referendum was submitted to the working group. The recommendations were supported by the Vice President for the Executive Work of the Association of Cities of Ukraine Pittsik M.V. As a result, it was decided in the working subgroup on this issue to prepare a coordinated position of the working group on local democracy and self -organization of the population on the bill No. 7082 for the official granting of its committee on state construction and local self -government to take into account in the preparation of the project for the second reading. Discussion of the draft agreed recommendations is scheduled for early September.