Vyshegrad group high -ranking officials visited Chernihiv to support reforms

On April 20-21, 2015, a high-level “decentralization and development of communities in Ukraine” was held in Chernihiv with the participation of Deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Visegrad Four (Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia), Ukraine, local authorities, representatives of international donor organizations, Ukrainian experts. This opens a series of four planned reform support measures in Ukraine.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland Konrad Pavlik, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic Peter Burian, Junior Deputy Minister of Foreign AffairsVerkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oksana Syroid, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Natalia Galibarenko and Deputy Minister of Regional Development, Construction and Housing and Communal Services of Ukraine Vyacheslav Negoda – these high -ranking officials gathered at the same time in Chernihiv to certify the desire to cooperate in the context of the country. In particular, European high guests assured that the governments of the Visegrad Four will provide all sorts of support for the reform process in Ukraine.

During the first day, the Ambassador of Canada to Ukraine Roman Vashchuk, the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Ukraine to Ukraine Christoph Weil, representatives of diplomatic and donor structures of the United States, Switzerland and Sweden, also joined the work. The subject of negotiations of official representation on the part of European partners was specific assistance in the process of decentralization, and the current and perspective situation in the context of reform was voiced by the Ukrainian authorities.

In turn, within a separate meeting, experts of the Visegrad group presented successful practices of decentralization processes of their countries and voiced advice on reforming power in Ukraine.

According to the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland Conrad Pavlik, the Government of Ukraine took the first steps in the direction of decentralization. But this path is long and thorny, which must be made without mistakes based on the experience of the Visegrad group. The imitation of the Polish model of local government reform will facilitate it.

According to the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic Peter Buryan, Ukraine needs to develop its own model of reform.

In his turn, the Junior Deputy Foreign Minister of the Czech Republic, Yaroslav Ludva, noted that his country offers consistent assistance to Ukraine in the development of civil society, independent media and reforming the education system. Financial support is also provided. The Czech Republic has allocated 2 million euros for reconstruction and transformation in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian authorities assure that the decentralization process has already been started. In particular, in the budget and tax spheres. A number of necessary laws have been adopted, however, the development and adoption of new bills, such as local self -government, elections to local councils, etc. In turn, it is extremely important to start communicating the reform in order for people to understand their advantages.

The first round table aimed at improving coordination and increasing the synergy of assistance that Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia are provided to Ukraine, held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland and Solidarity Fund PL in cooperation with the Polissya Fund of International Regional Studies.