It is planned to launch a Geoinformation System for Regional Development in Ukraine by the end of 2023.

As chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on the organization of state power, local self-government, regional development and urban planning, head of the Servant of the People party, Olena Shuliak, said at the first joint meeting of the European Parliament Committee on Regional Development on Thursday, data from this system will be used to develop effective strategies for the development of regions of Ukraine.

According to her, the launch of the Geoinformation System will help synchronize regional policy with the principles and instruments of the EU, as well as strengthen institutional capacity at the state, regional and local levels.

The MP also stressed that synchronization opens up new opportunities for Ukraine to use EU financial instruments and funds for candidate countries. This, in turn, can significantly accelerate the processes of renewal of Ukraine. To date, the country has already done a lot in this direction, but the improvement of digital tools for the restoration and development of regions continues.

"We are improving the DREAM system – a single digital recovery management system. By the end of 2023, we will launch a Geoinformation System for Regional Development. It will collect, store and analyze data at the regional and local levels, which will be used to develop effective regional development strategies and monitor their implementation," Shuliak said.

According to her, work will also continue on improving the functionality of the Unified State Electronic System in the field of construction, which promotes transparency, efficiency, and safety of construction processes.

"And, importantly, the Register of damaged and destroyed property is already fully functioning, data from which can be used to determine the size of reparations of the Russian Federation," the deputy stressed.

As Shuliak said, today Ukraine is striving not only for a qualitative recovery, but also for integration into the EU.

"We must fully synchronize our regional policy. We strive to ensure that each community is involved in the restoration processes as much as possible, so that the voice of each of its residents is heard. But it is also extremely important for us to implement EU standards during the restoration," the chairman of the parliamentary committee said.

In her opinion, the approach to the restoration of regions should be based on a harmonious system of strategic planning of regional development, consisting of three levels: national, regional and territorial.

"At the national level, we already have a State strategy for regional development, at the regional level – regional development strategies, and at the local level, all territorial communities should develop strategies for the development of communities," said Shuliak.

In addition, she said, the state regional policy provides for a geographically-oriented approach. Functional types of territories are determined, each of them will have peculiarities in approaches to restoration and development. The specifics of the restoration will establish a Plan for the restoration and development of the regions, which will have a multi-level structure - include regional plans, as well as local development activities and projects.

"The key goal for us is to take into account the needs and challenges of different territories, to support the most affected. That is why various functional types of territories have been identified, among which are restoration territories, regional growth poles, territories of sustainable development and territories with special development conditions. Now our task is to synchronize," Shuliak summed up.