Decentralisation in Ukraine

The decentralization reform had the following provisions:

• Strengthen local government;
• Change administrative-territorial structure;
• Consolidate the “principle of omnipresence” (local governments are defined by lands on the territory of settlements);
• Empower local government with sufficient powers and resources;
• Reflect historical, economic, environmental and cultural characteristics when planning the development of United territorial communities;
• Transfer roles that local governments can perform to local authorities;

The reform consists of three key components:{{Cite book|url=https://www.international-alert.org/sites/default/files/Ukraine_Decentralisation_EN_2017.pdf|title=Decentralisation in Ukraine: Achievements, expectations and concerns|publisher=International Alert / Ukrainian Center for Independent Political Research|year=2017|pages=3}}

• Reform of the territorial organisation of power
• Reform of local self-government
• Reform of regional policy

After Ukraine gained independence in 1991, the state increased local/regional government powers. In 1997 Ukraine ratified the European Charter of Local Self-Government, and adopted regulatory acts that established such powers. However, discussions concerning larger scale organisation as a rule concerned the distribution of powers at the national level.

Following Euromaidan in 2014, the new government launched a national project "Decentralisation" (Ukrainian: Національний проект "Децентралізація"), on 1 April.{{Cite web|url=https://decentralization.gov.ua/en/about|title=About Reform|website=decentralization.gov.ua|access-date=22 February 2019}} The government of Volodymyr Groysman identified support for decentralisation as one of its priorities.

During the reform, local budget revenues grew from ₴68.6 billion in 2014 to ₴146.6 billion in 2016. By the end of 2017, local budget revenues had reached ₴170.7 billion. In addition, amalgamated hromadas became more active in the process of budget formation: during the first 10 months of 2017, amalgamated hromadas increased their own revenues by 80%, while national revenues grew by only 31.8%. In addition, per capita development expenditures in January-September 2017 increased by 225% compared to 2016 (for example: in communities without amalgamated hromada, growth was only 50%).{{Cite journal|last=Oleksandr Virnyk|date=13 November 2017|title=Monitoring of Decentralisation reform as of November 2017|url=https://www.slideshare.net/oleksandrvirnyk/2017-81966142|language=uk}}

From 2014 to 2017, state support for the development of amalgamated hromadas and their infrastructure increased from ₴0.5 billion up to ₴14.9 billion.{{Cite web|url=http://nbuviap.gov.ua/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3276:finansova-detsentralizatsiya-chi-vipravdalisya-ochikuvannya&catid=8&Itemid=350|title=Фінансова децентралізація: чи виправдалися очікування?|last=Redaktor|website=nbuviap.gov.ua|language=uk-ua|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190219080404/http://nbuviap.gov.ua/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3276:finansova-detsentralizatsiya-chi-vipravdalisya-ochikuvannya&catid=8&Itemid=350|archive-date=19 February 2019|url-status=live|access-date=22 February 2019}}{{rs?|date=October 2020}}

Donor agencies, embassies and multilateral organisations are financing and implementing programs and decentralization projects via a Donor Board.

The following projects and organisations are very active:{{Cite web|url=https://donors.decentralization.gov.ua/en/projects|title=Усі проекти - Карта донорів|website=DonorsMap|access-date=2019-05-18|archive-date=22 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190222152321/https://donors.decentralization.gov.ua/en/projects|url-status=dead}}

• [https://donors.decentralization.gov.ua/en/project/u-lead U-LEAD with Europe] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190725085314/https://donors.decentralization.gov.ua/en/project/u-lead |date=25 July 2019 }} Programme – multi-donor action of the European Union and its Member States Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Poland and Sweden, implemented by GIZ (German development agency) and Sida (agency of the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs)
• DESPRO – Swiss-Ukrainian Project, funded by the Swiss Confederation through SDC and implemented by Skat
• USAID-funded [https://donors.decentralization.gov.ua/en/project/dobre DOBRE] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190222170813/https://donors.decentralization.gov.ua/en/project/dobre |date=22 February 2019 }} program
• Joint UNDP/EU Project – “Community Based Approach to Local Development”

{{reflist}}

• [https://decentralization.gov.ua/en/ Official website of the reform]

Category:Decentralization

Category:Local government in Ukraine

Category:Administrative divisions of Ukraine