MinRegion responded to reports of a number of the Zakarpattia Oblast information websites regarding another “betrayal” – that is how the authors described the refusal of the Zakarpattia Oblast State Administration to give a positive conclusion on conformity of the decision to form the Velykobereznyanska amalgamated hromada with the Constitution and the laws of Ukraine.

On 23 July, the Velykyi Bereznyi settlement and Roztotska Pastil village councils sent a decision on formation of the Velykobereznyanska AH to the Zakarpattia Oblast State Administration, requesting a conclusion on the conformity of such a decision with the Constitution and the laws of Ukraine. In response, the oblast state administration returned the documents for revision with the proposal “to bring the number of local councils that amalgamate into line with the list of perspective capable hromadas”.

MinRegion suggests that such an answer is nothing more than an attempt to frame Ihor Bondarenko, the newly appointed head of Zakarpattia Oblast State Administration. In previous years, there were many similar refusals to newly formed AHs, and MinRegion repeatedly drew attention of the Zakarpattia OSA to this situation.

“It is obvious that passive thinking of certain heads of the OSA divisions is still maintained and they continue to operate within the framework of the previous political guidelines. It is a pity that they, with their unprofessionality, actually framed the current head of the Oblast State Administration. I say so because last week I visited the Zakarpattia Oblast. I held a working meeting with Ihor Bondarenko on decentralisation and on the adoption of a perspective plan, and I received his full understanding and desire to support the reform. Of course, in this situation the decision will be made by the OSA head, ” said Vyacheslav Nehoda, First Deputy Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Communal Services.

We recall that the Zakarpattia Oblast is the only one that has not yet approved the Perspective Plan for the formation of capable hromadas in course of local self-government reform implementation. The oblast ranks last in the ranking of regions for the formation of capable hromadas.