Today marks 11 years since the start of a new phase of local government reform (also known as decentralization reform), one of the most successful reforms in Ukraine since the Revolution of Dignity. The essence of the reform is the transfer of powers and finances from the state authorities to local governments, which are as close to the people as possible.

The reform has changed the philosophy of governance in Ukraine as a whole: the resolution of issues affecting community residents has been transferred to the communities themselves. For 11 years now, this has allowed for the most efficient use of local resources to improve the daily lives of citizens. And the RPR Coalition is proud that in 2014 our experts and partners took an active part in the development of these changes. 

Today, in the context of the decentralization reform, we would like to mention another equally important one. It is a public administration reform that aims to increase the efficiency of government at three levels at once – national, regional and local.

The national level of government deals with issues that cover general policy and international relations. The regional and local levels deal with more local issues. However, each of these levels requires a transparent, accountable system of administration, which means that a comprehensive change in approaches to public governance is needed. For example, completing the implementation of the Law on Administrative Procedure, continuing to reform the remuneration system, and implementing a unified human resource management information system across the country, including in light of the adopted Law on Service in Local Self-Government Bodies. 

Effective public governance is an integral part of the decentralization reform, as it will not only consolidate the principle of transferring powers from the center to the local level, but also build a system for the effective exercise of these powers, such as enhancing inclusiveness of decision-making, broader involvement of citizens in local policy-making, surveys of people to better understand their needs, etc.

Today, we talk a lot about the achievements of decentralization, and this is an indisputable fact. After all, year after year, the European Commission’s reports emphasize that the local government reform is crucial in ensuring the economic and social development of our country. 

However, the key to the successful implementation of all the principles of decentralization is better local governance, which is ensured by the principles of good governance as an integral part of the public administration reform. Both reforms are our European integration commitments, which only emphasizes the need for their full implementation. 

Yurii Mykytiuk, Head of Regional Programs at the RPR Coalition, is confident: “Both decentralization and public administration reforms not only contribute to the sustainable development of communities, but also strengthen the trust of citizens in the government and the state, which is the basis of a strong democracy in Ukraine. That is why we should not only continue, but also intensify our efforts to fully implement these reforms. These are some of the key aspects of change for Ukraine’s European future.”

The material was published within the framework of the project “Democratic Integration, Resilience, and Engagement” (Ukraine-DARE), implemented by Democracy Reporting International (DRI) in cooperation with the Reanimation Package of Reforms Coalition and the Center for Political and Legal Reforms with the financial support of the Federal Foreign Office of Germany. The project aims to facilitate the approximation of Ukrainian legislation to the EU norms, build a dialogue on the challenges to democracy in Ukraine during the war, and promote civic engagement of young people. The opinions and views expressed in this material do not necessarily reflect the position of the Federal Foreign Office of Germany.