66 Amalgamated Hromadas Going to the Polls in The
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THE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF THE U-LEAD WITH EUROPE PROGRAMME DYNAMICSISSUE # 13, JUNE 2019 The first and additional local elections on 30 June are one of three major polls to be held in many parts of the country this year. Photo: U-LEAD Archives TABLE OF CONTENTS 66 AMALGAMATED HROMADAS GOING TO THE Cover story: POLLS IN THE 2019 LOCAL ELECTIONS 66 hromadas’ first local elections Has it ever struck you how the logo for Ukrainian decentral- THE ROAD TO REVENUE U-LEAD in the Spotlight isation looks a little like a zodiac? If there really were such a thing as a Ukrainian political horoscope, 2019 would be the The new reality for these AHs begins when the results of Feature: year of the election with its three major ballots. Between the elections are announced on the first day of first plenary ses- Accelerating amalgamation headline-making presidential elections in March and April sion. With an elected leadership, hromadas can now initiate and the upcoming parliamentary elections 21 July, the first the process of direct budget relations with the Ukrainian The Interview: and additional local elections on 30 June are the third polls state budget regarding new responsibilities and delegated Andrii Pinchuk to be held in many parts of the country this year. Additional- functions for which the transfer of financial resources to the ly, 30 village and settlement councils merging with AHs will local level is foreseen. Decentralisation Dynamics also be voting their deputies. U-LEAD SUPPORT FOR HROMADAS AFTER ELECTIONS Success Story: FIRST LOCAL ELECTIONS From thorns to ping pong balls Horoscopes cannot always foresee the future, but over For the 66 municipalities taking part and where citizens are the next six months, between 1 July and end of December, Facts & Figures casting their ballots, these elections represent a transition. hromadas’ mayors know they will have to fulfil assorted These will be the first polls for hromadas that have newly requirements. As elected officials, they can now conduct Voices of U-LEAD with Europe amalgamated and have not voted for leaders since they first first and second plenary session to decide on first steps for formed as AHs. Residents of these municipalities now get newly amalgamated hromadas, start reorganisation of local IMPRINT to choose both their heads and deputies. Many standing for councils that became part of the AH, prepare financial doc- election will be incumbents trying to hold their position and uments, analyse and prepare the list of property, assets and Responsible for who may also have pushed for the decentralisation reform responsibilities of local councils who amalgamated, and so the publication: in their territories. However, voters will also be able to elect on. For these first steps of hromadas after the first elections, outsiders new to the local political scene. U-LEAD with Europe provides start-up package, with the de- U-LEAD with Europe tailed guidance for newly created AHs, including legal advice, Programme algorithms, training and consulting on the most relevant le- Bastian Veigel, gal and budget issues. Kameran Khudur Editors: Olena Molodtsova Roland Hackenberg Production and distribution: U-LEAD Monitoring, Visibility and Knowledge Management Team U-LEAD IN THE SPOTLIGHT UKRAINE 200,000 AND STILL COUNTING In mid-June, the number of participants who have received training and oth- er capacity building measures from U-LEAD with Europe passed the 200,000 mark. To date, a little over 203,000 participants have taken part in over 15,500 ANDREJ HORVAT different events, including seminars, consultations, study trips, dialogue events and conferences or forums. GIZ DEPUTY PROGRAMME DIRECTOR The milestone is evidence of the programme’s reach throughout the country across target groups that range from public administration, elected repre- sentatives, civil society, business representatives and educational and health AHS ARE ROLE institutions and the media in support of Ukraine’s decentralisation reform.ы TALLINN, ESTONIA ADVISOR TO THE PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE TO MODELS FOR OTHERS SUPPORT TREMBITA IMPLEMENTATION The Ukrainian delegation headed by Mykhailo Fedorov, Advisor to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi visited Estonia to get professional assess- For 66 hromadas in Ukraine, 30 June marks a new phase on the ment to the “A state in a smartphone” concept and insight how the Trembita road to amalgamation. After holding their first local elections on data exchange solution benefits the e-governance development in Ukraine. that date, these hromadas can lay the groundwork for direct bud- Within the two-day visit, the Ukrainian delegation conducted more than 10 get relations with the state in 2020. meetings, in particular with the Chief Information Officer of Estonia, the Secre- tary of State of the Cabinet of Ministers, representatives of the European Com- mission, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Information System Authority, the The voyage is not always easy, it can be challenging and even Center of Registers, the Estonian e-Governance Academy, etc. tricky, but in the end, new amalgamated hromadas (AHs) are formed. “We received a very positive feedback from Estonian experts concerning our plans. We also agreed on specific support in the audit of registries, the devel- opment of the Trembita system, the modern electronic identification SmartID, After the voting booths close on the evening of 30 June, the sun the introduction of e-Residency. At each meeting, we felt absolute openness on 1 July will rise over a new start for hromada heads, starostas and a desire to help Ukraine. This was inspiring,” Mykhailo Fedorov added. and, last but by no means least, citizens. The First Deputy Head of the State Agency for e-Governance Oleksiy Vyskub noted that the active implementation of the data exchange solution “Trembita” The end of this phase in their amalgamation marks the beginning is the bases of the “A state in a smartphone” concept and should lead to full of a new reality for AHs. redesigning of all inefficient, bureaucratic and corrupt processes in the state. With the measures we have introduced through our top initiative “Trembita” system is developed and implemented within EGOV4UKRAINE proj- ect by support of U-LEAD with Europe. for accelerating the amalgamation process, U-LEAD with Europe has contributed to bringing these AHs where they are today. BERLIN ZELENSKYY AND MERKEL FIRST MEETING Through our Local Government Development Centres in all 24 During his visit to Berlin, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed the decentralisation reform in Ukraine with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. oblasts, we helped put AHs on the right course. Referring to the mission of Professor Georg Milbradt, Germany’s special envoy, Merkel said, “We talked about continuing the projects that have been launched Simply by asking the question, “Have you heard about the re- in recent years, such as Mr Milbradt’s work in the area of decentralisation of form?” we generate greater interest and awareness – of the chal- Ukraine, which, I think, is a project that is very important.” U-LEAD with Eu- rope supports the decentralisation reform in Ukraine and Professor Milbradt’s lenges hromadas can face and the opportunities they can tap. mission. The reform may be voluntary, but the best voluntary decision is an KYIV 129 MORE HROMADAS WILL ESTABLISH informed one. In a process that affects the lives of thousands of A WELL-FUNCTIONING ASC WITH U-LEAD’S peoples, myths are inappropriate, and the top initiative has helped SUPPORT show the big picture or tell the full story of decentralisation. 129 Terms of Reference (ToRs) for establishment of well-functioning ASCs were developed by the experts of the U-LEAD with Europe’s Support to Improved Ad- People may trust news articles, but when it comes to success, ministrative Service Delivery within the Hromada Selection Round 3 implemen- they need to see things for themselves. tation. The ToRs were created as a result of experts’ visits to hromadas and in close cooperation with them. The ToR is an individual document with detailed description of all aspects of With 66 new realities to show in July, we will further work on ac- well-functioning ASC establishment or modernisation to be used by hromadas and Implementers as a road map. What is ToR video is available here. Detailed celerating amalgamation. information on Hromada Selection Round 3 results is available below in Dynam- ics’ Facts and Figures. ACCELERATING AMALGAMATION BY BREAKING MYTHS Ask the 66 hromadas holding first local elections on a simple question, “Have you heard about the reform?” 30 June and quite a number can attest that U-LEAD Based on the answers, the work can begin. with Europe contributed to getting them where they are today. The programme’s second top initiative is to Through awareness raising, consultation and in large- support acceleration of the amalgamation process, in scale events for officials, e.g. forums, and for the public line with MinRegion’s priority of encouraging volun- at open hearings, U-LEAD opens the floor for debates tary amalgamation. Through the Local Government and exchanges on the positive results and benefits of Development Centres of U-LEAD with Europe, in all 24 amalgamation. In study trips and field visits, represen- oblasts of Ukraine, the programme has been working tatives from municipalities about to amalgamate can to tell the stories of the places where the reform is visit successful AHs to see amalgamation in action. working, make exchanges possible and share experi- ences from other countries. A DECENTRALISATION TOOLKIT As Andrej Horvat, GIZ Deputy Programme Director at U-LEAD with Europe, says, “People may trust news ar- Based on the various approaches used in the oblasts, ticles, but they need to see successes for themselves. U-LEAD with Europe is continuously developing a Through our experience in all 24 oblasts of Ukraine, unique toolkit for Ukrainian decentralisation, contain- we can show different cases of amalgamation and ing a range of good practice instruments listed above.