Ukraine has a unique chance in the next 5 years to form a new model of a territorial structure based on the strength of amalgamated hromadas, and thus, contribute to the general strengthening of the state, said Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman in his interview to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

According to him, the basis of these processes is further decentralisation as one of the most successful reforms implemented by the Government. “The first stage of change has now come to an end. And now it is necessary to form a new stage,” the Head of Government said. “It is necessary not just to ensure the further reform implementation, when local hromadas have funds, powers, new opportunities and the right to amalgamate, but also to protect these achievements, enshrine them in the Fundamental Law. I reasonably believe that in the next five years there is a unique chance to build a new administrative-territorial model of a successful and self-sufficient Ukraine.”

The Head of Government stressed that there are now opponents of the reform in Ukraine. And they will probably try to roll out the processes in the opposite direction. “The Constitution is the guarantee of decentralisation irreversibility. Omnipresence of local self-government, distribution of powers among the levels of government according to subsidiarity principle, and guarantees of financial self-sufficiency of local self-government need to be enshrined in it,” said Volodymyr Groysman.

In his opinion, it is possible to consider the draft amendments to the Constitution next year by the current composition of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

“This Verkhovna Rada has done more for local self-government and decentralisation than all the previous convocations since our independence. There is a healthy core of people aware of what local government stands for,” said the Prime Minister. “I remember how difficult it was for me to work with the Parliament in 2014, I was then in Arseniy Yatsenyuk’s Government and was working on regional policy and local self-government. There was a complete misunderstanding and rejection. And in 2015, we already had a complete understanding of all branches of power, comprehension that this is a proper reform and it needs to be implemented. Therefore, I think that this Rada will be able to do this.”