The state regional policy in the Carpathian region, among other things, should ensure the effective development of mountainous areas, emphasised Vyacheslav Nehoda, First Deputy Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Communal Services, during his working visit to the Chernivtsi Oblast. An extended meeting is held in the region today to discuss topical issues of regional policy implementation in the Carpathian region.

The First Deputy Minister noted that 715 settlements in Ukraine, of which 279 or 39% are located at an altitude of over 600 m, have the status of mountainous ones.

"There are significant socio-economic disproportions on these territories, and the lives of citizens in mountainous settlements are significantly different from life in the plains of the country. Features of the mountainous territories also affect the level of social infrastructure provision, development of which is restrained by natural factors. In particular, the remoteness of mountainous settlements and low quality of road infrastructure determine the peculiarities of location and functioning of educational, healthcare and cultural institutions. Therefore, we must pay particular attention to the development of such settlements, starting with planning of such development,” said Vyacheslav Nehoda.

In 2018, following the instructions of Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman, the process of elaboration of the State Programme for the Development of Mountainous Areas of the Ukrainian Carpathians by 2023 has begun. The working group on analysis of problems of the mountainous areas was headed by Vyacheslav Negoda, First Deputy Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Communal Services of Ukraine. He informed that a working draft of the Concept for the Development of Mountainous Areas, based on the best world practices, has already been prepared.

"In the final version, we must reach the State Strategy or Programme for the Development of Mountainous Areas, which should become part of the overall State Strategy for Regional Development," said the First Deputy Minister. He also added that in 2018 the Government paid attention to solving the problematic issues of the development of hromadas located in the mountainous areas, in particular, funding, creation of conditions for proper financing of educational and healthcare institutions, provision of high-quality educational and medical services to the population.

"At the same time, it is necessary to solve the problems of the mountainous territories’ development through the lens of economics, and to learn to use the advantages inherent to these territories. Mountainous villages, as compared to others, do not have proper conditions to provide quality services to people. I mean undeveloped transport networks, energy and telecommunication infrastructure. Consequently, we have the low level of accessibility of territories and inaccessibility of services for the population, unfavourable business climate and unemployment, emigration, demographic aging of the population. But we can and should fix it. Moreover, mountainous areas have a number of advantages and they need to be used,” Vyacheslav Nehoda said.

He focused on the fact that the priority tasks of the mountainous areas’ development should be clearly defined in each regional development strategy and in plans for their implementation by 2020, including:

• development and improvement of infrastructure, especially road, transport, communal, telecommunication ones;

• development of traditional mountainous agricultural economy, forestry, and crafts, introduction of environmentally friendly technologies into production and processing of products;

• creation of clusters and other new organisational forms of production and economic activity;

• development of renewable energy sources;

• development of tourism and recreation;

• creation of favourable business development conditions.

Vyacheslav Nehoda earlier said that development of mountainous areas should become a priority for the regions for the next five years.