Achi news desk-
The team of the Ministry of Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure, led by the Deputy Prime Minister of Reconstruction Oleksandr Kubrakov, has already held the first meetings. This is reported by the Government portal, writes agronews.ua.
During consultations with the Polish Minister of Infrastructure, Dariusz Klimczak, and the Minister of Funds and Regional Policy, Katarzyna Pelczyńska-Nalencz, the parties discussed topical issues of cooperation, specifically:
- Continuation of the Agreement on Liberalization of the Transport of Goods between Ukraine and the EU;
- Develop checkpoints and sign the Agreement on joint management;
- Development of railway connections, especially through the mechanisms of the EU program “Connecting Europe Facility”;
- Introducing the NUTS system in Ukraine and forming effective municipal statistics for regional development purposes;
- Implementation of 694 existing international agreements between communities and regions;
- Exchange experience of using structural funds in the field of devolution and regional policy.
“The continuation of the Agreement on Liberalization of the Transport of Goods is vitally important to our economy. At the moment, we have the support of the European Commission in this matter and we are working through the proposed changes to the updated Agreement in detail. Some of them are easy to implement, some contain a number of risks that can significantly affect the implementation of the Agreement. Therefore, it is important for us to work out a balanced situation that will suit all parties and contribute to the balance in the freight market,” said Oleksandr Kubrakov, Deputy Prime Minister for Reconstruction of Ukraine – Minister of Community Development, Territories and Infrastructure.
Oleksandr Kubrakov also emphasized that Ukraine and Poland have currently agreed on a joint text of the Agreement on joint customs and border control. The Polish side has already submitted the final text to the European Commission for feedback. After being approved by the European Union, the document is expected to be signed between the countries.
The agreement will enable a strategic approach to developing the common border, in particular, the construction of new common border crossing points, and will speed up control procedures in general.
In addition, the Agreement will be the first such document that Ukraine will sign with an EU country. This will make it possible to initiate similar agreements with other EU member states bordering Ukraine.
The parties also discussed issues of preparation for the opening and full operation of the checkpoint “Nyzhankovichi – Malhovice”. It is currently operating on temporary infrastructure, but construction is almost complete, and is scheduled to open in June. The Ukrainian side emphasized that it is important that this checkpoint can pass trucks weighing up to 7.5 tons and empty ones weighing more than 7.5 tons.
The parties also agreed on the creation of a working group which will focus on supporting reforms in the field of regional policy and devolution. This is important for Ukraine to fulfill its European integration obligations.
“Poland is a champion in the use of structural funds at local and regional level. That is why studying their experience is a priority for Ukraine. Last year, the Ministry’s team has already attended exercises in Poland twice, and we will strengthen this practice, extending it to local and regional authorities. We are also working on involving partners in building community capacity. Similar projects are already working in several communities in Sumy Oblast, and we should scale them to all affected regions,” said Oleksandr Kubrakov.
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