"Staying among the representatives of local communities, surely, I cannot but concentrate on the decentralisation matter. Local budgets have increased from UAH 69 billion in 2014 to UAH 147 in the previous year. This year, they have to achieve the indicator of UAH 170 billion. That will mean the increase by two and a half times", President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko stated in his speech made at the meeting of the Regional Development Council.

According to the President, the share of local budgets in the country's consolidated budget has also increased and now it is close to 50 % - this never happened in the history of Ukraine. That means that the revenues of local budgets were expanding at outperforming rates in comparison with the State budget revenues. And the most recent increase of the minimum wage twice as much, up to UAH 3,200.00, played an important role there and local budgets also got a huge benefit.

"The fact that you, at the local level, have obtained such a huge resource does not mean that nobody will take interest and supervise the efficient use of that money. There is no need to coordinate that with Kyiv, and it was the point of introduction of decentralisation. But to keep it on deposit accounts when the roads are in need of repair, schools are not built, kindergartens are not renovated, street lighting is missing, when there is no plan how to make each community to experience changes resulting from the increase in local budgets by 2.5 times - none of these may be acceptable. I emphasise it -  you decide on each specific matter by yourselves, but people should see that there has appeared a new road at some place, modern lighting at some other, and, sorry to say, a garbage dump somewhere ... There is money for that", the President addressed the representatives of regions.

According to the President, significant work has been done at the central level with the aim of raising resources of international financial support programmes to meet the development needs of regions and local communities. "That is not an invention. Some local councils worked in that way five and ten years ago using the resource. But the money is available today, and this international assistance is a significant additional resource requiring highly efficient use to the benefit of communities, to the benefit of each Ukrainian citizen", Petro Poroshenko said.

"Over the last two years, Ukraine, in quite complicated circumstances, made huge steps forward. Now, it is very important to transfer from the law-making and establishment of institutions to comprehensive implementation of those reforms so that Ukrainian citizens could reap the fruit of their labour", these are the words of High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, a great friend of Ukraine, which were said a few months ago when she commented on the joint report of the European External Action Service and the European Commission.

"Ukraine, the report says, is implementing intensive and unprecedented reforms in economic and political systems; its democratic institutions are being restored".

"We started making changes and transformations in 2014. In 2015, the first developments were apparent to the reformers only. In 2016, they were also seen and highly appreciated by our foreign partners. It is very important that 2017 make it into history as the year when the changes have been experienced by a wide range of our compatriots. That is the task I charge you with", Petro Poroshenko summarised.