09 September 2010, 11:12
Volodymyr Lytvyn: The Territorial Organization System of Ukraine needs Fundamental Modernization
Volodymyr Lytvyn, Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, believes that "the entire system of territorial organization needs fundamental modernization, while every other year holds away the cherished European standards and the opportunity to re-organize the services and communication systems."
He made this statement in the interview to "Holos Ukrainy" newspaper on September 9, 2010.
V.Lytvyn believes that "the administrative and territorial reform is inevitable, the waste of time making its implementation even more complex and unpopular." "The local authorities can not be reformed, unless the administrative reform is implemented top-down", V.Lytvyn stressed.
The Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine supposes that by the modern European standards, a region is not just an administrative unit, but a subject of political action. However, "regionalism is not a vexing rudiment of separatist character, but a realization of the natural striving of the local public for the self-sufficiency". He regretted that "neither the political circles nor the public realize that administration system reforms can not be effective, unless they are top-down."
V.Lytvyn drew attention to the fact that the administrative-territorial division inherited by the independent Ukraine from the USSR, had not been altered, and, therefore, is "not just unsustainable, but archaic, non-compliant with the modern European standards and requirements."
He calls for admitting the fact that "our territorial organization contravenes the logic of global transformation processes."
"The constitutional provision that the local self-government is applicable for the lower territorial level, while the districts and regions are governed by direct public administration, contradicts the European Charter of Local Self-Government", he stressed.