G7 reacted to oppression of local self-government in Ukraine
Ukraine’s successful recovery must build on the results of decentralisation reform and be carried out in cooperation with local governments.
This was stated by the ambassadors of the Group of Seven countries after a meeting with representatives of the Association of Ukrainian Cities, amid a scandal over the dismissal of Chernihiv Mayor Atroshenko and attempts to remove Klitschko from the post of head of the Kyiv City State Administration, Censor.NET reports citing Dzerkalo Tyzhnia.
"A successful, inclusive reconstruction of Ukraine will include cooperation with locally elected officials and build on the positive results of Ukraine's important decentralization reforms," the Japanese chairmanship of the G7 Ambassadors' Support Group in Kyiv tweeted.
Dzerkalo Tyzhnia notes that this is "an important signal against the backdrop of the central government's continuous pressure on local self-government in Ukraine".
"The case of Chernihiv, where a military administration has been appointed to take over the powers of the local council after the removal of Mayor Atroshenko from power; the conflict with Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, when, against the background of determining who is responsible for the deaths of people behind the closed doors of a bomb shelter, Bankova does not abandon plans to dismiss Klitschko from the post of head of the Kyiv City State Administration; the government ignoring the law on the foundations of regional policy in terms of developing the necessary bylaws when planning the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine; the lack of a coordinated position of the centre and local governments on draft law 5655 on urban planning reform, which was not supported by the European Parliament in its resolution," Dzerkalo Tyzhnia lists examples of pressure on local governments.
In the context of the European Parliament's resolution and the G7 signal, it should be understood that the success of Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic integration directly depends, among other things, on the continuation of the decentralisation reform, the publication concludes.
The ambassadors of the G7 countries met with AUC representatives to get their views on the participation of local governments in the reconstruction, as well as the planning and implementation of reforms in Ukraine, according to the G7 ambassadors' representatives.
Earlier it was reported that in June, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling on the Ukrainian leadership to further strengthen local self-government and integrate the success of the decentralisation reform into the overall recovery and reconstruction architecture. In particular, by giving local authorities a "prominent decision-making role" in relevant projects. The European Parliament also recommended that the government cooperate with the Association of Ukrainian Cities and the European Alliance of Cities and Regions to rebuild Ukraine.
