This week, the Verkhovna Rada plans to consider in the second reading and in general the draft law on amendments to the Law of Ukraine "On Local Self-Government in Ukraine" and other legislative acts of Ukraine on democracy at the level of local self-government (№7283), UNN reports with reference to the agenda of the Verkhovna Rada.
Details
The draft law was submitted to the Verkhovna Rada in 2022 and passed in the first reading in January 2023.
As the authors of the document explain, this is one of the key draft laws for further decentralization, as it provides tools for real democracy - active participation of people in community life not only during the election period but also in between.
It defines various forms of work of the territorial community on local issues," said Olena Shulyak, chairwoman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Organization of State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning.
Between the first and second readings, many amendments were submitted to the draft law, some of which were taken into account by the relevant committee.
The draft law provides for such forms of democracy for community residents:
- Public consultations;
- Public discussions;
- General meeting;
- Electronic petitions;
- Community participation in the formation and distribution of the local budget.
The draft law contains a clause on reporting by local deputies, which is currently done once a year. However, if the draft law No. 7283 is passed, deputies will be obliged not only to report to their community, but also to answer questions, engage in active discussion, and publish their reports so that voters can see what their elected local deputy is doing.
The document also provides for the mandatory approval of the charters of territorial communities (from January 1, 2027). In addition, the draft law defines the term "resident" as an individual who has declared or registered a place of residence in a territorial community and/or whose electoral address is located in the territory of the respective territorial community, except for a conscript, an individual who is in a place of detention by a court order.
Among other things, the adoption of the draft law is expected to facilitate the integration of IDPs into the communities in which they live.