A presidential decree on urgent measures to ensure economic growth, stimulate regional development and prevent corruption was published on the website of the Office of the President of Ukraine on Friday evening.

In decree No.713/2019, Zelensky, "with the aim of accelerating economic development, further decentralizing power and preventing corruption," issued a list of instructions to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine with set deadlines for implementation.

The government is also to envision measures in the next year budget, in line with the means justified by needs, to stimulate economic growth, raise living standards, develop the mountainous areas of the Ukrainian Carpathians and increase financing of the Regional Development Fund.

The Cabinet of Ministers must also ensure the development of a number of bills and submit them in the prescribed manner for consideration by the Verkhovna Rada.

The government has until October 1, 2019, to submit draft legislation regarding farmland circulation, legalization of the gambling industry, changes to the amber mining laws, and changes to the Budget Code optimizing the use of funding from the Regional Development Fund.

The government thus has until January 1, 2020, to submit legislation on the principles of administrative-territorial division, on amendments to the local election laws, changes to boost the capabilities of regional development agencies, changes to stimulate regional development through higher competition among the regions, and amendments to some legislative acts to update labor laws.

The Cabinet of Ministers should also take measures to prepare facilities in the fuel and energy complex for the 2019/2020 autumn-winter period, as well as ensure that the regions are ready for the autumn-winter period and carry out continuous monitoring; take measures to start selling debtors' property in bankruptcy proceedings through the electronic trading system and ensure the proper functioning of such a system.

The government has also been instructed to take measures by December 1, 2019 to:

- ensure preparations for large-scale privatization of facilities, as well as the sale of small-scale privatization facilities via e-tenders in excess of sales conducted during the first half of 2019;

- ensure finalization in the prescribed manner of draft agreements on hydrocarbon production sharing to be concluded with the winners of tenders;

- reduce illegal employment, in particular, through de-shadowing incomes and employment relations, the introduction of incentive mechanisms for employers to legalize the execution of employment contracts, increased liability for violation of labor laws and violation by the taxpayer of the procedure for submitting information about individual tax payers;

- intensify a housing and utilities reform awareness campaign.

The decree becomes effective from the date of publication.