Head of the
Support Group under the European Commission Peter Wagner was quoted as saying
in the process of the discussion of reforms in Ukraine in London. "The
economic situation has stabilized in an impressively fast manner,
decentralization is most advanced", he added.
The working visit
was devoted to tackling the progress of reforms in Ukraine and the priorities
for the future, as well as discussing details of further cooperation, in
particular, supporting reforms in Ukraine.
Minister of the Cabinet
of Ministers of Ukraine Oleksandr Saienko
delivered a presentation on the state of reforms and priorities for the
Government. He also met with representatives of the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development and partners from the European Union.
"We have
made significant progress and now is time to
consolidate our achievements. At the next stage, we want to focus our efforts
on priorities such as privatization, effective governance of state-owned
enterprises, public administration reform and business climate improvement. We
also strive to expand the scope of the support program by establishing reform
support groups in other ministries and departments. These teams are not just
important for the implementation of reforms, they are
a potential basis for the modern professional and efficient public service in
Ukraine".
The Minister also
thanked the international partners for their unwavering and integrated support,
thereby proving the trust and recognition of our progress in pursuing the
reforms.
European
Commissioner Johannes Hahn added: "The Association
Agreement brings the EU and Ukraine
closer and opens up the
potential for ever stronger cooperation.
To reap the
full benefit of the Agreement,
Ukraine needs to adopt many,
often difficult reforms. We remain
committed to helping Ukraine build stronger governance, a stronger economy and a stronger
society. Public administration must be inclusive, transparent,
scrupulously honest and accountable, and it must
deliver quality services to all
Ukrainian citizens. Ukraine’s future and the success
of its reform
process depend on dedicated Ukrainians
working with enthusiasm and engagement for their country's future. We are helping them
to build a stronger Ukraine."
It should be
noted that to support the implementation of reforms in Ukraine with the
assistance of the EBRD and the EU, reform support groups were set up in 2016.
At the first stage, such groups worked in the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry
of Economic Development and Trade, the Ministry of Infrastructure and the
Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine. Following the successful first
phase of the reform, such support teams were established in the Ministry of
Ecology and Natural Resources and the Ministry of Regional Development,
Construction, Housing and Communal Services of Ukraine, as well as the State Agency
of Motor Roads of Ukraine. Today, they employ about 150 people who engage in
the development and implementation of priorities of sectoral
reforms, as well as the transformation of the state apparatus.
Reform support
teams are part of the wider reform architecture #MakeReformsHappen
in Ukraine. It also comprises the National Reform Council of Ukraine, the
Reforms Delivery Office within the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, the Strategic Advisory Group for Supporting Ukrainian
Reforms (SAGSUR) led by Ivan Mikloš. Elements of
the reform architecture are funded from the EBRD-Ukraine Stabilisation
and Sustainable Growth Multi-Donor Account (MDA) established in 2014 to support
Ukraine's efforts to reform the economy, improve the business climate and
ensure sustainable development, with Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy,
Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the
USA and the EU contributing to the account.