OREANDA-NEWS. December 22, 2008. The Ministry of Regional Development and Building is elaborating a Law of Ukraine “On development of mountain areas of Ukraine”.

The Minister of Regional Development and Building of Ukraine Vasyl Kuibida announced to journalists. According to him, Ukraine has a current law “On status of mountain settlements in Ukraine”, approved back in 1995. It determines fundamentals of the state policy regarding development of mountainous localities and guarantees of social protection of citizens who reside, work or study there.

“In the law we intend to lay the norms which are to regulate how to overcome unrestrained tendency of abandonment of mountain regions, to prevent social and economic recess of these areas, to create proper conditions for the development of such territories but not separate localities, to preserve unique nature habitats,” the Minister explained.

Vasyl Kuibida is convinced the core of this law has to be a human, while main directions have to become an economic one – ensuring of the development and maintaining road infrastructure, support of kinds of economic activity characteristic for mountain territories as well as tourism, traditional crafts; an ecological one – measures in preserving and minimization of harm for mountain environment, restriction of industrial use of mountain territories; and a social one – defining of peculiarities of payment of labour of the budget sphere.