In Ukraine, 60% of citizens support the decentralisation reform.

This was announced to the media in Ivano-Frankivsk by Vyacheslav Nehoda, First Deputy Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Communal Services of Ukraine, answering the questions of the Ukrinform correspondent on decentralisation challenges.  

“From the outset, we observed a lack of understanding of the goals and objectives of this reform. However, we saw that Ukrainians are increasingly supporting decentralisation every year. If we began with an understanding of this reform at the level of 13-16% of citizens, now 60% of citizens support it,” said Vyacheslav Nehoda.

According to him, decentralisation is one of the most successful reforms in Ukraine. However, the executive authorities are not very willing to transfer its powers, and consequently, resources to hromadas, and this is another challenge. He added that there are now 896 amalgamated hromadas in Ukraine. Of these, 66 will have their local elections in June. Therefore, no political force will dare to wind up this reform, since otherwise it “is doomed to defeat”.

“Our task is not only to enshrine the positive result, but also to discuss new political realities and the next steps to continue this reform. ...The main success of this reform is that people believed in it. This reform is not only the transfer of powers and resources, but also awareness of responsibility for the future. It is an awareness that local issues should be addressed in hromadas rather than in ministries, oblast or rayon administrations...,” said the First Deputy Minister.