8.4 million people or 23.9% of the total population of Ukraine (this figure does not take into account temporarily occupied territories) live on the territory of amalgamated hromadas. Only during the last month the number of people living in AHs grew by 1.3 million. This is evidenced by the Monitoring of the decentralisation process and local self-government reform, carried out monthly by MinRegion.

The Ministry explains such a rapid increase by intensification of the process of formation of AHs with centres in cities of oblast significance.

“In Ukraine, 16 cities of oblast significance have already formed AHs, bringing together 38 surrounding village and settlement councils. These cities are the first to amalgamate in this very format, and we support their solution. After all, these are the decisions behind the development, economic growth and welfare of the population”, commented Vyacheslav Nehoda, First Deputy Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Communal Services.

It should be mentioned that 10 village and urban-type settlement councils have joined the city of Lozova; 5 village councils have accessed the city of Rzhyshchiv; 1 village, settlement council joined the cities of Varash, Vinnytsia, Voznesensk, Hadyach, Zhytomyr, Nova Kakhovka, Novhorod-Siverskyi, Novodnistrovsk, Slavuta, Shostka, Novohrad-Volynskyi; Berezan adjoined 5 village councils; 4 village councils accessed Kolomyia; and 3 village councils – the city of Bucha.

MinRegion reminded that barriers to the formation of amalgamated hromadas with centres in the cities of oblast significance have not been removed yet – out of 30 cities that have begun the accession procedures, 12 do not meet the perspective plans. And, in total, 87 cities of oblast significance are limited by perspective accession plans. Oblast state administrations can work together with oblast councils to change the situation by amending the perspective plans for the formation of hromadas in the oblasts, in particular, the Vinnytsia, Zakarpattia, Lviv, Mykolayiv, Poltava, Cherkasy and the Kyiv Oblasts.

Vyacheslav Nehoda, First Deputy Minister for Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Communal Services, earlier stated that the model for the perspective plans’ creation with participation of oblast state administrations and oblast councils has exhausted itself, and the Government has to complete this process.

In total, according to the Monitoring, there are 865 AHs. Of these, 123 will have their first local elections in December this year. Another 21 AHs are waiting for the decision of the Central Election Commission to appoint the first local elections on their territory.

Other details of the decentralisation process are available in the Monitoring as of 10 November 2018 (DOWNLOAD).