Agro Perspectiva

EBRD will finance Project Office of Reforms in Ukraine

18.02.2015 11:09 "Agro Perspectiva" (Kyiv) — The MOU between the Executive Committee of Reforms and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development on the support of the National Council of Reforms and the Project Office of Reforms was signed on February 17, President Petro Poroshenko Press Office reports. As to the report, the Memorandum was signed by Co-Chairmen of the Executive Committee of Reforms Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine Dmytro Shymkiv, Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine Aivaras Abromavicius, Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Affairs Hanna Hopko and EBRD’s Director for Ukraine Sevki Acuner. Reportedly, establishment of the Project Office is the result of several months of negotiations with the EBRD that began on July 2014. The Project Office will coordinate the processes of reforms’ elaboration and implementation, monitor their fulfillment and ensure communications between the ministries and the Parliament, as well as between the Government and the public sector. As to the report, the Project Office will involve professionals with strong project management and analytical skills. «We have already received 120 applications for the post of the Head of the Project Office. Within two weeks, the National Council of Reforms jointly with the EBRD representatives will choose the most probable candidate,» Dmytro Shymkiv noted. The top-priorities of the Project Office will be the anti-corruption, judicial and deregulatory reforms. The Project Office will also carry out advisory functions to ensure compliance with the unified standards in the elaboration and planning of reforms, as well as in the provision of reports on the process of reforms’ implementation. «Particular feature of Ukrainian reforms is that they were initiated by the civil society. The Project Office will allow using the ideas of activists, international partners and government representatives for the achievement of the best result,» Aivaras Abromavicius noted. Reportedly, Abromavicius emphasized that the creation of a new coordinating body was especially important given the initiatives of the Ministry for deregulation of the Ukrainian economy and reformation of the governance system of the State-owned enterprises. The Project Office is created for 2 years until the required capacity in the continuation of reforms in the executive power is gained. The budget of the office is EUR1.5 million per year (the provision of EUR1.08 million had also been approved). Then, another round of negotiations on the prolongation of funding under the results of the implemented reforms will be held. The EBRD’s Director for Ukraine Sevki Acuner expressed his positive impressions from the cooperation between the new Ukrainian government and the EBRD. «We are glad to be engaged in the process of reforms in Ukraine and we are sure that the Project Office would promote qualitatively new changes in the State,» Mr. Acuner admitted.