At this stage of decentralisation it is no longer appropriate to discuss whether it is necessary or not to extend the land powers of hromadas and the way to do it. Amalgamated hromadas have proven their efficiency and ability to solve complicated issues and to be responsible for their decisions. Thus, the answer is obvious – it is necessary and should be done more quickly. Those opposing are simply trying to talk the problem away. Therefore, people’s deputies must pass the law allowing hromadas to influence all the land in their territory, including that outside settlements, as promptly as possible. Moreover, there are several similar draft laws in the Parliament, said Vyacheslav Nehoda, First Deputy Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Communal Services, at the conference “Decentralisation, Land Management and Development of Hromadas”, held today in Kyiv with the participation of AH representatives.

He recalled that there are more than enough draft laws solving the issue of expanding the land powers of hromadas in their entire territory one way or another. In addition to draft law No 4355 adopted in the first reading, which consideration has been going on for two years, the Government draft law No 7118 and its alternative version from the people’s deputies No 7118-1, were registered with the Verkhovna Rada, as well as draft law No 7363, recently submitted by the President of Ukraine.

“We must finally implement the omnipresence of local self-government – empower hromadas on their entire territory. To do this, the people’s deputies have to take the floor. We hope that there will be a chance to pass one of the draft laws in the first reading before the end of this year. And at the beginning of the next year, hromadas could get a long-awaited law adopted. The Government has expressed its position. It is supported by all amalgamated hromadas, local self-government associations and majority of experts. Therefore, now the ball is in the Parliament’s court. People’s deputies have another opportunity to demonstrate the support of local self-government by their vote,” said Vyacheslav Nehoda.

The results of the interactive voting held during the conference showed that an overwhelming majority of 250 event participants supported the need for adoption of one of the aforementioned draft laws and expressed confidence that hromadas would more effectively use their land and direct this resource to improve the lives of their residents.