The Ministry of Regional Development and GIZ have entered into an agreement on implementation of the project for development of cities in Ukraine in the amount of EUR 5.85 million.

It was so reported by Vice-Prime Minister - Minister of Regional Development, Construction and Housing and Communal Services of Ukraine Hennadii Zubko during the execution of the Agreement on the Implementation of Integrated Development of Cities in Ukraine between the Ministry of Regional Development and Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, a German government company.

He underlined that the cooperation in the framework of the project would allow preparing and proposing the best technical solutions for the development of Ukrainian cities.

Hennadii Zubko stated that the Integrated Development of Cities in Ukraine project is jointly financed by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany (BMZ) and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs of the Swiss Confederation (SECO). "It is very important for us that the best European practice is implemented in Ukrainian cities.  In the course of next three years, the integrated development concepts will be developed for the following four Ukrainian cities: Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Poltava, and Chernivtsi. The budget of the project totals EUR 5.85 million. The participating cities will also make their own contribution in kind in the amount of approximately EUR 200,000. That is required for the implementation of new European technologies and practices today while efficiently using the existing infrastructure. In particular, it terms of creation of new jobs, procurement of high-quality medical services, arrangement of qualitative recreation areas, etc. But what is the most important, it means reaching a new more qualitative level of sustainment of the whole city", the Vice-Prime Minister noted.

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In April this year, German, Ukrainian, and Swiss experts began to work on the fundamental principles of the concepts of integrated development in four cities engaged in this project. Unlike the existing town planning in Ukraine, the integrated approach to the development of cities provides for active engagement of the population in all phases of the concept formulation. The Leipzig Charter on Sustainable European Cities is the main guideline for this work. The adaptation of the existing legal framework to the European standards is one of the most important tasks of the project so that the cities may perform their functions effectively in the context of the local self-government reform.

Also, the system of education and personnel training in the area of town planning will be improved. Through the participation in a number of events arranged for within the framework of the project, the four cities - participants in the project - will share their experience with other Ukrainian cities so that the integrated approach to the city development eventually becomes a standard in the Ukrainian town planning.