OREANDA-NEWS. December 26, 2012. The President emphasized that practical implementation of a new regional policy would be among priorities of the government in 2013. First of all, it is the transition of regions and communities to system development of own resources on strategic grounds and expansion of interregional cooperation.

The President noted that State Budget-2013 did not include solution of those tasks. “The allocation of earmarked funds for social and economic development of certain areas triggers many questions. The funds allocated by the State Fund for Regional Development for direct budget financing of regional development problems – one billion UAH – are insufficient,” he noted.

The President reminded that the introduction of a new functioning mechanism of state fund of regional development was planned in 2013. Its purpose is to raise loans under state guarantees in order to implement its tasks and activities. The Head of State instructed the Government to introduce that mechanism and increase funding of regional development budgets.

“I ask you to accelerate the determination of the order of borrowing and work it out with regions in order to ensure maximal efficiency of the mechanism,” Viktor Yanukovych said.

The Head of State particularly stressed: regional programs and strategies must be implemented simultaneously with National Plan of Actions. “Consideration of concrete needs and demands of population and usage of local business potential will define the efficiency of introduction of such programs and strategies,” the President noted.

“The introduction of regular monitoring of regional development is obligatory. Based on sociological and statistical data, they would allow determining the “temperature of development” of each topical problem – from business-climate to medical, social and other services,” the Head of State added.