This idea was mentioned by Vyacheslav Nehoda, First Deputy Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Communal Services of Ukraine, in the “Modern Hromada” programme of the Ukrainian Radio.

Why is the draft law on the principles of the administrative and territorial structure still not considered by the Verkhovna Rada?

- The system of administrative and territorial organisation is the basis for building a system of government and local self-government bodies in any country. It is exactly on a territorial basis – at the regional, subregional and basic levels – that the model of the organisation of power in the oblast, rayon, hromada is determined. And the quality of services rendered on one or another territory depends directly on the efficiency of local authorities. Therefore, since the very beginning of the reform, that is from April 2014, we have been emphasising that one of our main tasks is the formation of a new administrative and territorial structure of Ukraine. It should reflect the modern needs of people and should be in line with the powers of modern authorities. The structure of Ukraine, which existed during the Soviet Union, was created in compliance with completely different political and economic models of the state. And now it does not fully meet the requirements of time.

At the beginning of the reform, we hoped that changes to the Constitution would be made, which would enable us to introduce a new, more perfect and progressive model of administrative and territorial structure. But since amendments to the Fundamental Law have not been adopted, we took a different path: developed a governmental draft law on the principles of the administrative and territorial structure... So why has this issue been unresolved for so long? First of all, because the very term “change of administrative and territorial structure” sometimes frightens voters and, consequently, politicians.

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