Introduced by the Government of Ukraine, the decentralisation reform - transfer of powers and resources to hromadas - has become not a goal in itself, but an instrument for achieving high living standards for people. The Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman said it during a meeting of the Regional Development Council of the Ternopil Oblast.

A while ago the Ternopil Oblast entered the list of best oblasts with the speed of hromada amalgamation, and today has high indicators of industrial production growth in the area, salary increases, and the creation of new jobs, which in the coming years should make up about 9,000 per annum. About 1,500 regional projects worth about UAH 30 billion are planned to be implemented in the oblast, at that the most of the projects concern the formation of a new educational space, the upgrading of the healthcare system of the region and infrastructure development. One of the most promising for investing is considered the agrarian sector. Over the past few years, over 60 investment projects have been implemented in the oblast, which allowed the region to enter the list of leaders in livestock production and growing sugar beet and rapeseed.

The Head of Government stressed that the reached by the Ternopil Oblast success was a great work that had been conducted and was underway at various levels since 2014. "By 2014, we had had limited opportunities. But the idea of decentralisation was called to launch systemic changes in public administration system", said Volodymyr Groysman. "And the Ternopil Oblast then showed the whole country that it was possible to proceed along the path of change and achieve the result. What we see today are the incipient changes."

The Prime Minister noted that by now in Ukraine there have been accumulated good financial instruments, while local budgets have grown 3-4fold. The regions have development budgets that will enable change in the quality of education, medicine, as well as the improvement in the business climate and leveraging investments. According to Volodymyr Groysman, the eloquent example of such changes is, among other things, a radical reduction of queues in kindergartens. Over the past three years, it has declined by more than 60 thousand. Another example: last year, the volume of capital investments across the country amounted to over UAH 520 billion. And this process will prolong, the Prime Minister assured.

The Head of Government drew attention to the fact that the reform of decentralisation allowed to retrofit the concept of governance. The amalgamated hromadas know better how they should manage their life. The role of making fundamental decisions will only increase with the enshrinement of the irreversibility of the decentralisation reform in the legislation. "As a result, the economy will grow and social standards will increase," the Prime Minister said.

Volodymyr Groysman urged regional leaders to switch shortly to medium-term planning. The regional strategies in synergy with the national action plans can give a new impetus to economic growth in the country.

"Nothing is better for Ukraine than consolidated efforts of everyone ... Politicians should think not about how to get an appointment but how the hromada will develop," Volodymyr Groysman underscored.

According to the Prime Minister, such consolidation should not only be preserved but also protected. "We should defend the decentralisation reform and switch to a new stage of the reform - at the level of the Constitution of Ukraine. This will enable us not to depend on politicians who are guided only by political interest. This is our common task. In 2020, we must hold regular local elections on a new territorial basis. The country must be united by amalgamated, effective and sufficient hromadas," Volodymyr Groysman underscored.