Cooperation of hromadas as a local development instrument is gaining popularity, as evidenced by the monitoring data of the process of decentralisation of power and local self-government reform, carried out monthly by MinRegion.

Only over last month, 27 hromadas concluded 9 cooperation agreements. A total of 614 hromadas benefited from this instrument, having entered into 142 agreements and now jointly combining resources, solving issues of housing and communal services, landscaping, fire safety, social security, etc.

MinRegion emphasises that the use of cooperation between hromadas increases their ability to develop their own economy.

"Cooperation of hromadas is the basis of sustainable, strategic development of their territories. It is a tool that enables hromadas to save resources and increase efficiency of their use. Of course, the ultimate goal of such cooperation is to improve the quality of services for the hromadas’ population. Besides, as experience shows, such unity around the development of hromadas attracts investment," commented Vyacheslav Nehoda, First Deputy Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Communal Services.

He urged hromadas to thoroughly explore the legal possibilities of application of hromadas’ cooperation and actively use this instrument. Moreover, the state provides financial support in the form of subventions to local budgets of cooperation parties in the priority sectors of the state policy.

It is worth reminding that cooperation is carried out in the form of:

1) delegation of performance of one or more tasks to one cooperation party by other cooperation parties providing it with appropriate resources;

2) implementation of joint projects, which involves coordinating the activities of cooperation parties and temporary accumulation of resources by them in order to jointly take appropriate measures;

3) co-financing (maintenance) of enterprises, institutions and organisations of communal form of ownership – infrastructure facilities, by cooperation parties;

4) formation of joint communal enterprises, institutions and organisations – joint infrastructure facilities by cooperation parties;

5) formation of joint management body for the joint fulfillment of liabilities determined by the law.

The Law of Ukraine "On Cooperation of Hromadas" can be reviewed HERE

Full version of the Monitoring of the process of decentralisation of power and local self-government reform (March 2018) is available HERE