On 27 May, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the Law of Ukraine “On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine Regarding the Promotion of Participation of Local Self-Government Authorities in the Implementation of International Technical Assistance Programmes and Projects and International Territorial Cooperation”.
The new Law creates favourable conditions for the more active participation of local self-government authorities in the implementation of international technical assistance programmes and projects, as well as interregional, cross-border and transnational cooperation initiatives financed through budget support, assistance and/or grants provided by the European Union, foreign governments and municipalities, international organisations and donor institutions.
The key provisions of the Law include:
• introducing a clear mechanism for providing additional remuneration to local self-government officials for the extra workload related to the implementation of international technical assistance programmes and projects and international territorial cooperation initiatives;
• enabling such additional remuneration to be financed through international funding and grant support;
• stipulating that the procedures for granting such remuneration will be determined by local councils based on model regulations approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
For the Interreg NEXT Poland – Ukraine 2021-2027 Programme, the adoption of this Law is particularly important, as a significant share of Ukrainian beneficiaries are local self-government authorities. The new legislative provisions will provide additional incentives for local government staff to engage in the implementation of international projects and will contribute to a more effective use of the opportunities offered by our Programme.
The Law will enter into force three months after its official publication.
The full text of the Law is available HERE.