OREANDA-NEWS. December 28, 2010. Having heard and discussed at the extended meeting the question of reform of state government in Ukraine and preparation and adoption of the 2011 State Budget of Ukraine, the Council of Regions has decided:

1. To recommend the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine to:

take concrete measures to implement the decisions of President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych on launching government reform, optimize the system, functions and powers of authorities of the executive branch and reduce state machinery maintenance costs;

develop legislative proposals on changing local administrations’ powers and review its own legislative acts on recommended structural subdivision of local administrations while working through the issue of ensuring effective governance at the local level, particularly concerning functioning of the territorial branches of central executive authorities;

direct some of the funds, freed as a result of optimizing the structure and size of government bodies, into improving the quality of managerial decisions. To this end, make amendments to the relevant government regulations;

take measures to initiate presentation and wide public discussion of the pension reform in Ukraine;

take measures to restore and support the work of municipal electric transport and elaborate State Program of Electric Transport Development in Ukraine.

2. To recommend members of the Council of Regions and relevant central and local government authorities to actively participate in the preparation of proposals on implementing the next stage of reform of local government.

3. To recommend chairmen of regional and district councils, city mayors, to take actions to optimize the structure of the respective councils and executive committees.

4. To recommend the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, Presidential Administration, and Department of Civil Service of Ukraine to jointly organize and hold training course on implementation of administrative reform for the chairmen of executive authorities and local governments.

5. To recommend the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and Ministry of Finance of Ukraine to introduce a model of forming State Budget of Ukraine on the basis of project budgeting to ensure effective program-target method of social-economic development of regions and the state.

6. To recommend the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine to complete the development and launch in 2011 the Transparent Budget on-line information service, which will provide for effective control of the society over revenues and expenditures of the State Budget of Ukraine and, with the help of central and local authorities, conduct the necessary explanatory work on the application of this service.

7. To recommend members of the Council of Regions to ensure timely preparation of local budgets’ drafts for 2011 and their submission to the relevant local councils for approval.

8. To recommend the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, chairmen of regional, Kyiv and Sevastopol city administrations to approve measures on:

increasing revenues of local budgets according to indicators of economic development of their regions;

ensuring economical and rational use of funds and providing that expenditures of local budgets meet the available financial resources.