Oleksandr Korniienko, the First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, took part in the roundtable discussion “Good Democratic Governance in Ukraine: Achievements, Challenges and the Way Forward in the Post-War Period”.
In the framework of the event, Ukraine and the Council of Europe signed a Joint Declaration on Good Democratic Governance in the area of local self-government. “This will determine the implementation of the next stages of the decentralisation reform,” said Oleksandr Korniienko.
“Strong local self-government is the foundation of democracy. As a candidate country for membership in the European Union, we must demonstrate strong, responsible and effective local self-government – this is an integral part of our European integration track,” said Oleksandr Korniienko.
He informed that such a high-level dialogue was held for the second time and is a continuation of the extensive cooperation with the Council of Europe.
The First Vice Speaker expressed gratitude for the discussions in Strasbourg in November 2022: “It was then that the preparation of the Action Plan to ensure the implementation of the agreements reached during the dialogue – the draft Roadmap – was initiated.”
“In close contact with our colleagues from the Council of Europe and the European Union, we can respond to all the challenges facing the local self-government of Ukraine,” he said.
Oleksandr Korniienko emphasised that discussions on the relevant topic will continue and will be held in a high-quality manner: “Talking about self-government only with self-government is our principle.”
“We see a powerful teamwork involving the Office of the President, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine,” said the First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, while thanking his colleagues from the Council of Europe who arrived in Kyiv: “The next few days will be devoted to the topic of self-government and the Council of Europe’s participation in interrelated processes, which is a very important milestone on the way to our further development.”
The event was also joined by members of the Ukrainian parliament: Olena Shuliak, the Chairperson of the Committee on State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning; Vitalii Bezhin, the Chairperson of the Subcommittee on Administrative and Territorial Structure of the Committee on State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning; Andrii Klochko, the Member of the Committee on State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning; Alina Zahoruiko, the Chairperson of the Subcommittee on Elections, Referendums and Other Forms of Direct Democracy of the Committee on State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning and the Head of the Subcommittee on Administrative Services and Administrative Procedures of the Committee on the Organisation of State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning Larysa Bilozir
For reference. The roundtable was attended by representatives of state authorities, local self-government bodies and their all-Ukrainian associations, NGOs, the expert community, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the President of Ukraine and the Council of Europe.
The roundtable was organised by the Council of Europe Programme “Strengthening Good Democratic Governance and Resilience in Ukraine” within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine for 2023-2026 “Resilience, Recovery and Rebuilding” in cooperation with the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine – the Committee on State Building, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning.