Ukraine is determined to finalise its decentralisation and governance reforms and is committed to improve national legislation based on the European Charter of Local Self-Government and other European standards despite the ongoing Russian aggression.
The Council of Europe Programme “Strengthening Good Democratic Governance and Resilience in Ukraine” organised a range of high-level meetings with key national stakeholders in Kyiv, on 18-19 April 2023. They were focused on the priorities of the decentralisation reform and co-operation in 2023-2024 within the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recover and Reconstruction”.
On 18 April, a high-level Round Table on Good Democratic Governance was co-chaired by the First Vice Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine Oleksandr KORNIENKO and Director of Human Dignity, Equality and Governance Claudia LUCIANI. The event brought together MPs from different political parties, Heads of State (Military) Administrations, leaders of local authorities and their national associations, Ministry in charge of Territorial Development, Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the President of Ukraine. In addition, many senior representatives of national and international stakeholders from all over Ukraine joined the activity online.
The participants of the Round Table acknowledged that good governance at local level is at the heart of Ukraine’s resilience and reiterated their commitment to full recovery of good democratic governance.
The discussion was built on the agreements reached within the High-Level Dialogue “Good Democratic Governance in Ukraine: achievements, challenges and the way forward in post-war period”, held in Strasbourg in the Council of Europe Headquarters in November 2022.
Furthermore, the Roadmap to enhance good democratic governance prepared by the national partners, was presented by Mr KORNIENKO and the draft Council of Europe opinion on its local self-government part was discussed as well as and the proposed reform of local state (sub-national level) administrations (draft Law No. 4298).
On this occasion Mr KORNIENKO, as a Head of the Ukrainian delegation in this Dialogue, signed the Joint Declaration and expressed the wish to continue such regular High-Level Dialogues bringing together the main Ukrainian stakeholders, European officials and experts in order to pursue further co-operation based on European standards and expertise.
On 19 April, a public presentation of the draft law “On local self-government service” was organised at the initiative of the Parliamentary Committee on Local Self-Government. First Vice Speaker Oleksandr KORNIENKO, Head of the National Agency on Civil Service Natalia ALIUSHYNA presented the vision of the central authorities on the public service reform. Senior representatives of the three local government associations supported the proposed reform of civil service at local level. Daniel POPESCU, Head of the Department of Democracy and Governance of the Council of Europe presented the Council of Europe’s recommendations for implementing this reform, as laid out in its legal opinion on the draft law of August 2022.
Claudia LUCIANI and Daniel POPESCU also held meetings with senior representatives of the Ministry in charge of Territorial Development of Ukraine including the Deputy Minister Oleksandra AZARKHINA, Chair of the Specialised Parliamentary Committee Olena SHULIAK, leaders of local authorities, experts and international community in Ukraine.
During the meetings participants discussed the draft Roadmap on good democratic governance, prepared by national stakeholders, the Council of Europe’s opinion on it, and further co-operation on governance reforms. Over the next months, reform of the state representation at local level will be on top of the agenda.
