We should not wait for the end of the war to implement important changes in the country
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk took part in the International Summit of Cities and Regions within the framework of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the President of Ukraine, which took place today in Kyiv.
The extended format of the Congress was attended by parliamentarians, government officials, heads of cities and regional military administrations, representatives of local self-government and international partners.
In his welcoming remarks, Ruslan Stefanchuk first thanked all the delegates for their participation, in particular, the numerous international delegations representing the regional authorities of our foreign partners. According to him, the tremendous support that our country is experiencing “is the result not only of the interaction between heads of state, government officials and parliamentarians, but also of numerous twinning partnerships between specific communities, cities, regions of Ukraine and countries around the civilised world”.
He also stressed that it is the ideals of local self-government, as the main foundation of democracy, that fundamentally distinguish us from the russian aggressor.
“The real adherence to the principles laid down in the European Charter of Local Self-Government has yielded results. We have seen a stable, integrated system of regional authorities and local self-government not only within one country, but as a global community that is ready to support each other in difficult times,” said Ruslan Stefanchuk.
At the same time, the Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament noted that the conditions of the war have shown that only systematic, high-quality communication and constant interaction between the authorities and local self-government bodies of all levels makes it possible to successfully resist the russian invasion.
“The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the President of Ukraine is a platform where important decisions concerning all spheres of life are jointly discussed and adopted,” said Ruslan Stefanchuk, stressing that the meeting is focused on solving regional problems, especially in the territories affected by the hostilities.
“We should not wait until the war is over to implement important changes in the country. The Parliament, like the whole country, is making the necessary decisions to win. However, the agenda of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine also includes important legislative acts that are changing the country today, continue to bring it closer to the European community, increase its resilience, and create all the prerequisites for the development of a modern, democratic Ukraine,” the Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament said.
According to him, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is currently actively considering legislative initiatives aimed at reducing the tax burden on owners of real estate damaged as a result of hostilities or contaminated with explosive devices; compensation for damage and destruction of certain categories of real estate as a result of hostilities; implementation of EU legislation on electronic identification; reducing pressure on business by exempting it from fire and industrial safety inspections, provided that it is in compliance with the law.
Ruslan Stefanchuk also focused on laws that strengthen the capacity of local self-government, namely, those on improving cooperation between territorial communities and on improving the service in local self-government bodies.