The Verkhovna Rada Committee on the Organisation of State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning has recommended that Parliament adopt Draft Law No. 10284 in its second reading and as a whole. The Draft Law aims to encourage the participation of state and local governments in the implementation of international technical assistance and cross-border cooperation programmes.

During the meeting of the Committee, the rapporteur, Oleksandr Aliksiichuk, Chair of the Subcommittee on Cooperation between Communities and Regions, informed that 82 proposals and amendments had been submitted to the draft law, which was adopted at first reading on 5 June 2024. The Subcommittee recommended to take into account a number of these proposals and to reject those that did not receive support.

The primary objective of the draft law is to create conditions that will attract and retain qualified personnel in local governments working with international programmes and grants. The document provides for:

• Establishing additional allowances for local government officials for the extra workload related to the implementation of international technical assistance programmes and projects, as well as cross-border cooperation.
• Recruiting specialists with foreign language skills and project management expertise to prepare grant applications and implement international projects.
• These additional payments to be funded from international technical assistance funds, grants from the European Union, and funds from the governments and municipalities of other states (excluding the aggressor state) received by local budgets.

According to Oleksandr Aliksiichuk, if the draft law is adopted, it will enable communities not only to recruit new specialists but also to retain those employees who are already working with international programmes.

The Committee supported the decision proposed by the Subcommittee: to recommend that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopt Draft Law No. 10284 at second reading and as a whole.