Newly-formed united communities in Ukraine collapsing due to lack of legislative framework - MP
KYIV. Nov 25 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Newly-established united territorial communities in Ukraine are unable to function properly due to the absence of legislative on regulating their activities, which could result in the failure of the decentralization reforms, independent MP Yuriy Derevianko has said.
"This is a complete legislative and administrative collapse that will result in the failure of decentralization reform, unless the parliament, ministries and public authorities will immediately begin to coordinate their work," he said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Wednesday.
The current legislation envisages the establishment of territorial communities, but there are no laws that regulate their activities, the MP said. This has led to a situation in which united territorial communities do not fall under the definition of legal entities, accordingly they have no right to finance the needs of their respective communities. According to Derevianko, this resulted in garbage not being collected and the constant threat of power failing.
The MP said there were cases where the newly elected heads of territorial communities and members of the councils were ready to declare self-dissolution and go back to the original format in which they existed.
Derevianko said that the parliament had registered four bills which could solve this issue, and the Verkhovna Rada should pass them as soon as possible. He recalled that so far, 159 united territorial communities have been established in Ukraine, covering more than 1.5 million inhabitants.
For her part, member of Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Council Olha Halabala said that the financing of the united communities should be provided by a separate clause in the state budget and next year it should be carried out directly, bypassing the district and regional levels. She didn't rule out the possibility that officials found the establishment of territorial communities unfavorable and are now sabotaging the process.
Derevianko and Halabala are members of the council of the Volya Party.
