10 February 2009, 20:49
Volodymyr Lytvyn, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine during the Working Visit to Brussels has attended a Meeting with the President of the Committee on Regions of EU Luc Van den Brande
During the Meeting, the place and the role of the certain regions of the country in bilateral cooperation between the countries in the whole Europe were discussed.
"No programs would be effective if all the local governing bodies do not take part in it and if all the possibilities of the regions are not implemented in life", - V. Lytvyn declared.
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine stated that under the conditions of the crisis "the tendency to centralize adoption of the decisions is observed". Nevertheless, he stressed that "The Central power should observe and support the initiative of the regions".
According to V. Lytvyn, Verkhovna Rada makes everything possible to "support, realize and hear the initiative of the regions"
V. Lytvyn informed that the reformation of the political system of Ukraine is applied only concerning the central level and is not spread among the local governing bodies. Also, V. Lytvyn consider that the Budget should be formed from the "bottom to the top".
The President of the Committee on Regions of EU announced on the current programs of cooperation between regions of the different countries of EU, that are held under the patronage of the Committee. EU Luc Van den Brande informed that many his colleagues from the Committee "search ways of the concrete and practical cooperation of EU regions with regions of Ukraine"
As a result the Parties decided that the President of the Committee supply the Verkhovna Rada with the programs according to which the EU regions are working and V. Lytvyn will direct them to the Association of the Local Self-Governing for the activation of the cooperation with EU regions.