The war, internal migration and large-scale reconstruction have intensified issues that extend beyond the boundaries of a single community. Olena Shuliak, Chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on the Organisation of State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning, spoke about this at the III International Forum of Ukrainian Agglomerations in Lviv.

She said that the full-scale invasion had demonstrated just how important it is for communities, different levels of authority and state institutions to act in a coordinated manner.

‘When the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Station was blown up, over a million people living in different communities across Dnipropetrovsk region were left without water overnight. This problem extended beyond the boundaries of a single administrative unit, and no single community could resolve it on its own. Coordinated efforts by different branches of authority, in particular the central and legislative branches, were necessary,’ noted Olena Shuliak.

Another challenge is internal migration, which is changing the needs of communities and the strain on their infrastructure. According to the Committee Chair, in some communities in Vinnytsia, Lviv, Odesa, and Khmelnytskyi regions, the population has grown by 25–30% due to people moving in from other regions.

‘The strain on infrastructure capacity is enormous. We need to reallocate resources and rethink development so that people and the quality of services are at the heart of every community’s priorities,’ she emphasised.

Large-scale reconstruction projects may also span the territories of several communities and affect the interests of many people. Therefore, according to Olena Shuliak, communities need to coordinate decisions amongst themselves rather than planning development in isolation.

The Committee Chair identified three legislative challenges that need to be addressed jointly.

The first one is the delineation of powers between levels of authority. Draft law No. 14412 has been tabled in the Parliament, but, according to Olena Shuliak, it does not fully cover the European Commission’s indicator. This requires a package of legislative changes concerning sectoral powers.

‘Without a clear delineation of powers, there will be no clear rules and it will be impossible to avoid duplication. Today, communities, as well as regional and district authorities, are forced to operate under rules that are not always acceptable,’ she said.

The second challenge is the continuation of financial decentralisation, in particular defining the principle for the distribution of personal income tax. According to Olena Shuliak, around 15 draft laws with different proposals have been tabled in the Parliament, but there is as yet no common position amongst communities.

‘There are proposals to allocate personal income tax (PIT) based on place of residence and place of work, specifically using a 50:50 or 30:70 model. We have held numerous meetings with associations and communities and have found that there is as yet no consensus on the principle. Until a political decision is taken on which model to use for distributing personal income tax, financial decentralisation will not take place,’ explained the Committee Chair.

The third challenge is spatial planning. Communities have to take into account shared transport routes, utility networks, water supply, and energy provision.

‘It cannot be the case that one community has already developed a plan for spatial development, whereas another has not, when transport routes, utility networks, water supply, and energy provision are shared. No one can do this work properly in place of the communities. Planning determines whether residents will receive high-quality services, regardless of where they live, which school their child attends, which hospital they are treated in, and where they work,’ emphasised Olena Shuliak.

She called for the myth that an agglomeration means the absorption of small communities by a large city to be debunked. According to her, it is important to discuss safeguards and the conditions under which communities can work together.

‘I would very much like us to debunk this myth: an agglomeration is not about a large city absorbing a small community. We need to discuss safeguards and allay these fears. This will be an important step towards joint action by communities,’ said the Committee Chair.

As previously reported, Vitalii Bezgin, Minister for Communities, Territories and Internally Displaced Persons, stressed during the Forum that the further development of agglomerations requires amendments to sectoral legislation. Practical solutions, the Minister stressed, are needed not only for Lviv region, but also for Ivano-Frankivsk, Kryvyi Rih, Dnipro and other territories where agglomerations have already effectively taken shape.