Well organized, professional activity of the Parliament as a single legislative body of the country becomes particularly important today as Ukraine is now at the historical turn of the time when the foundation for the further country’s development is being laid, the preparations for signing the Association Agreement during the Vilnius Summit are being made.
This was stressed by the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Wednesday during the meeting with the students of Institute of advanced training for executive personnel of the National Academy of Public Administration under the President of Ukraine.
“The Parliament has to ensure rapid adoption of the necessary laws, it has to improve the legal base as it is the guarantee of efficient operation of the entire state mechanism,” the Chairman of the Parliament said, drawing attention to the fact that he “always makes effort for protests and disorders in the session hall to remain in the past.”
Volodymyr Rybak is sure that establishing direct and live connection between the Parliament of the seventh convocation, local executive authorities and local self-government authorities is extremely important now when economic and social reforms, initiated by the President of Ukraine, have moved to the stage of practical implementation throughout the whole country. He stressed that today three branches of power – the President, the Cabinet of Ministers and the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine – are coordinated and are ready to bear responsibility to the society for the future of reforms.
“Implementation of reforms is possible only by joining efforts at all levels – from the Verkhovna Rada to regional and village councils, their implementation devolves on representative and executive authorities. We shouldn’t hope that all the problems will be settled in Kyiv,” said Volodymyr Rybak. “Reforms should work on people and for people”.
According Volodymyr Rybak, main aim of reforms that are being implemented upon the initiative of the President of Ukraine, is to teach how to earn money independently at the local level as the result obtained in the regions is the one worth attention. The Chairman of the Parliament informed about the necessity of providing local budgets with additional financial opportunities for exercising their powers and duties. “Finances should be there where the problems are, and they should be settled,” he said.
Volodymyr Rybak emphasized that the resource of community facilities remains unaddressed. According to the Chairman of the Parliament, new approaches should be found to solve the problem of unemployment in small towns, villages and townships. More than 350 populated areas in Ukraine have the status of small towns with the overall population of more than 6 million of citizens.
Tens of thousands of citizens look for better life either in big cities or abroad. The same situation can be observed in the majority of Ukrainian villages and townships.
Volodymyr Rybak noted that as of today, there are more than 28 thousand of populated areas in Ukraine and settlement of the problem of village development is not only the issue of agricultural sector development. “Establishment of modern living conditions in the village in social, cultural and spiritual understanding is the priority task both of local authorities and each of you – each head of regional council,” he said, adding that village is primarily the environment and way of living of people, and only then is it the production sphere.
“That is why land, medical, educational reform, and social security reform should work in order to increase quality of life of countrymen and people living in small towns and townships,” stressed Volodymyr Rybak. “Without you, the representatives of local councils, without the deputy body, the leaders of respective administrations and heads of local councils, the matter of state importance will get nowhere. Modern management of local self-government is needed,” he added.
The Chairman of the Parliament appreciated positive example of Vinnytsia, which is one of the leading regions in implementing and spreading ideas of modern local self-government.
Volodymyr Rybak wished the present at the meeting chairmen of regional councils from across the state, the teaching staff of the Department of Parliamentarism and Political Management and students of the Academy successful studying and gaining knowledge of the major state issues and development of local self-government.