During his working visit to Lviv, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine took part in a meeting of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the President of Ukraine.
The event was chaired by the President of Ukraine and attended by representatives of the central government, heads of various departments, mayors, and heads of military administrations.
The Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament thanked all those who have been holding the “regional front” in the difficult and unpredictable conditions caused by the russian aggression.
“When this Congress was created, the goals were set for a peaceful country. February 24 significantly changed the priorities. Thanks to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, we have successes on the battlefield, but both territorial communities and territorial defense have done everything to bring the victory closer as soon as possible. I thank you all on behalf of the Parliament, on behalf of the entire Ukrainian people. Only together can we demonstrate the strength and power of the great Ukrainian nation,” Ruslan Stefanchuk emphasized.
The key issue of the meeting was to meet the urgent needs of citizens during the war and martial law. With this in mind, the Chairman of the Parliament of Ukraine in his speech outlined the directions of the Parliament’s work on the legislative process in this area.
First of all, he emphasized the priority issue for citizens – social protection. In particular, the Parliament managed to build a system of financial support for the citizens most affected by the russian aggression and expand the circle of people who receive social assistance. Ruslan Stefanchuk assured that MPs continue to do everything in their power to ensure a decent level of social protection for Ukrainians during the war.
“The second component is the restoration of the regions, where we have already taken the first fundamental steps, including the approval of the budget, restoration of the territories, and compensation for the damage,” said the Chairman of the Parliament of Ukraine.
He added that each region has suffered to some extent from russian aggression, so the role of communities will be extremely important in developing a mechanism for compensation for losses.
“Correctly formulated methods, approaches to maintaining a register of damages, and the management of these revenues are the components of success, transparency, and trust in each other. This is exactly what the Parliament will be working on in the near future,” emphasized Ruslan Stefanchuk.
The participants also discussed national security at the regional level, in particular, the security and humanitarian situation in the temporarily occupied and de-occupied territories of Ukraine, and separately discussed the status of projects to rebuild Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, which was destroyed by the enemy.
“We are working side by side and doing everything to ensure that our security and defense, our army, and Ukraine as a whole receive strong support from the only legislative body – the Parliament of Ukraine. I thank everyone who contributed to this,” the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine emphasized at the end of his speech.