EU Ambassador: Ukraine needs proper regional policy

Proper regional policy is an important prerequisite for real democracy, head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine Ian Tombinsky said, ForUm correspondent reports.

According to the diplomat, the regional policy outlines the way, in which subjects of local social and political life can work and solve different problems.

"For example, European regional policy has become one of the biggest successes of the EU, it really helped to improve situation in the member states. It concerns not only big financial support, but also a philosophy of regional development. The people get new chances and opportunities, the competitiveness of regions increase to the point that we can make better use of the natural resources of the territory," he said.

According to the head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine, all these factors are crucial for Ukraine. "Ukraine has a great potential and opportunities. Regional policy is human capital. We need to create a good environment for people to give them opportunity to build the infrastructure, get a good education, access to finance for everyday business activities. This is a resource, which is to be freed," Tombinsky assured.

According to him, many Ukrainian go to work abroad. "Proper regional policy can be a tool of the suspension of this trend and give future generations the opportunity to develop. European institutions can allocate 31 million EUR for such purposes to Ukraine," the official said.

Tombinsky noted that sound regional policy is not directed against the central government, it is a policy to promote sustainable development of the country as a whole. "10 years are a good period of time to implement a robust regional strategy," the diplomat concluded.