President presided over SMC meeting

Victor Yushchenko presided over the first meeting of the State Management and Local Self-Government Council, President's press office reported.

The Head of State said he hoped its members would work out a concept to reform state management and local self-government by the end of 2006.  He urged the council members, politicians and NGOs to jointly introduce administrative reform. Yushchenko added that it was closely interlinked with fiscal and budget reforms and opined that  better budget planning and motivation for business, which can increase central and local revenues, was one of the prerequisites to balance relations between the center and the regions: “If we want progressive changes, we must introduce them complexly.”

He said it was necessary to effectively carry out administrative reform and described it as “one of the key structural management reforms.” He pointed to Czech Republic’s positive experience in this field.

Yushchenko said he wanted the council to be “the place to discuss this reform,”: “Each public initiative should be considered and each NGO or business organization involved in discussing the issue.” 

Then the council members discussed necessary administrative laws. The Head of State insisted that members of Ukraine’s future parliamentary coalition should  agree to implement this reform and also re-establish the post of Administrative Premier.

Ihor Koliushko was appointed the Secretary of the Council. Roman Bezsmertny, Head of the PUOU Council, Bohdan Butsa, Minister of the Cabinet, Ivan Vasyunyk, First Deputy Chief of Staff, Anatoly Maksyuta, First Deputy Economy Minister, Anatoly Matviyenko, Deputy Chief of Staff, Volodymyr Shapoval, President’s Representative in Constitutional Court, and Victor Yanukovych, Leader of the Regions Party, were present at the meeting.