Decentralisation is a very important reform for Ukraine, which empowers people, and raises competition in local self-government. I can frankly say that there is a difference between Eastern and Western Ukraine as there is a difference between rural regions and cities. But it is the decentralisation reform that allows people to feel like the masters of their oblast, their region and their city. German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed this in her speech at the House of Decentralisation.

“The decentralisation reform improves the financial climate in the regions and the tax component. And Germany supports this important reform with partners from the European Union. As far as I can see, now you have a great cooperation spirit and significant results of the reform,” emphasised Mrs Merkel.

The German Chancellor thanked Vice Prime Minister Hennadii Zubko and the Ukrainian Government for their efforts to implement the decentralisation reform. “And I know that the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko is strongly supporting this reform,” she said.

She noted that the U-LEAD with Europe Programme, which helps to implement decentralisation, provides on-site highly qualified trainings and seminars that give people hope for tomorrow. Ukrainians start having faith in the future.

In turn, Hennadii Zubko expressed his gratitude to Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel for her high appreciation of the decentralisation reform and Ukraine's efforts to implement it. “I thank all our international partners, as well as Special Envoy Georg Milbrandt and MinRegion for assistance in its implementation,” said the Vice Prime Minister.

During the meeting at the U-LEAD Headquarters, the participants spoke about further legislative path for the reform, elaborated jointly with Georg Milbradt, Special Envoy of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany for the Ukrainian reform in the areas of governance and decentralisation.

Background:

Speech of German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel is available on Hennadii Zubko’s FB page.