The Ministry of Community Development, Territories, and Infrastructure (Minrestavratsiya) will continue its work with a focus on regional policy rather than infrastructure, stated Yulia Klimenko, Deputy Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Transport and Infrastructure.
"...this ministry will continue to operate on such a large scale with a greater focus on regional policy than on infrastructure," Klimenko announced at the Infrastructure Day organized by the European Business Association (EBA).
Sergey Derkach, Deputy Minister of Community Development, Territories, and Infrastructure, who also attended the EBA event, noted that the future functioning of the agency will depend on the subsequent decisions of the Verkhovna Rada.
"I believe that this question is not really for me, but more for Ms. Yulia (Deputy Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Transport and Infrastructure Yulia Klimenko - IF-U). It is the parliament that has initiated some changes with specific proposals regarding the division of the ministry," Derkach said.
He emphasized that the work initiated by the ministry has not stopped and remains "strategically planned."
According to Klimenko, after the dismissal of the Vice Prime Minister for Reconstruction - Minister of Community Development, Territories, and Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov, the committee sent a recommendation to the Cabinet of Ministers to split the ministry into two areas: regional policy and infrastructure.
"Let me explain the logic. First, when you merge two ministries (infrastructure and regional policy - IF-U), there is inherently a conflict of interest because sometimes you need to operate at the national level... which can be blocked by regional elites or interests," Klimenko said.
She cited the initiative to reduce the land tax under the facilities of "Ukrzaliznytsia," which is being lobbied by the company, while territorial communities, particularly those where 85% of the budget is formed from these revenues, do not support it.
"And I am curious how one minister, who is responsible for both regional communities and policy as well as transport, can make a decision. There should be a dissonance. And there are many such questions," Klimenko pointed out.
She emphasized that Minrestavratsiya should not have internal conflicts between making decisions for national and regional levels, and its composition should include specialists in transport and infrastructure matters.
According to the Infrastructure Index prepared by the EBA, 75% of respondents support the idea of splitting Minrestavratsiya and creating a separate specialized Call Center, while 25% do not support it. The prolonged absence of a specialized minister and his key deputies has had no impact on the transport sector, according to 55% of respondents, a moderate negative impact according to 30%, and a significant negative impact according to 15%.