Over the last three years, we have reversed the psychology of attitudes toward the development of the Carpathians. The idea of the need to change state policy approaches to the Carpathian region development and gradually move from social benefits to investments, as well as small and medium-sized business support, is already quite calmly accepted.

This was informed by Vyacheslav Nehoda, First Deputy Minister of MinRegion, in Kyiv during the final roundtable discussing the prospects for the development of mountainous territories of the Ukrainian Carpathians in the context of preparation of the draft State Programme for the Development of the Ukrainian Carpathian Region for 2020-2022, which is being elaborated in pursuance of the Decree of the President of Ukraine “On the Development of the Region of Ukrainian Carpathians”.

“No social privilege will keep a person where there is no job, no services, and therefore no prospects. Therefore, the state, together with regional and local authorities, should first of all create the conditions for filling local budgets, increasing jobs, improving the quality and accessibility of services in the Carpathian region. This is what the State Programme for the Development of the Region of Ukrainian Carpathians should be directed to,” Vyacheslav Nehoda said.

He urged representatives of the regions to take a unique chance to turn the Carpathians into a development zone. “Having such resources – people, nature, culture, traditions – the Carpathian region should not regress. This is an attractive investment area that should and can develop the country. That is why the state programme to be considered by the government at the end of September will include solely development projects,” the First Deputy Minister noted.

According to him, the regions have submitted projects to be financed under the programme for a sum of over UAH 12 billion, most of which oblasts want to receive from the state budget. “It seems that regions and hromadas are dissociating themselves from solving problems on this territory, but I emphasise that the state programme does not mean that only the state will take care of the development of the Carpathian region. The Government and Parliament create common rules and opportunities, and the task of regional and local authorities is to seize these opportunities by attracting not only public resources, but also funds of local budgets, business, international assistance and more. We, together with you, have just a few days to make financial calculations for your proposed projects and to show the Government that people on the ground are ready to actively and effectively contribute to solving the problems of the region, and will not just wait for money from the state budget,” said Vyacheslav Nehoda.

The event was supported by the Sustainable Development of the Ukrainian Carpathians project, implemented by the Ukrainian Association of Rayon and Oblast Councils within the framework of the activities of the Resource Centre for Sustainable Local Development in partnership with the Embassy of the Republic of Poland and the Ministry of Communities and Territories of Ukraine.

Within the framework of the project 5 roundtables were held: in the Lviv, Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi Oblasts and the final one – in Kyiv.