Leading Researcher of the Department of regional ecological policy and environmental management of the Dolishniy Institute of Regional Research of NAS of Ukraine
A set of problems of improvement of the mountain territories’ social and economic development policy (mountain policy) in Ukraine are outlined. National legislative maintenance of mountain policy is assessed and conclusions over the non-compliance with the established public guarantees of mountain territories’ social and economic development and the fallacy of orientation exclusively on direct budget assistance are made. The fact that the approach is inefficient and requires enhancement in terms of introducing the stimuli for investment attraction from extrabudgetary sources with gradual waiving of benefits for rural residents, creation of favourable conditions for entrepreneurship activity and maintenance of multi-profile economic development of mountain territories is proven. The importance of improving their economic competitive ability and creation of new jobs to prevent mountains’ depopulation is emphasized. The examples of the best European practices of mountain territories’ development, recommended to be introduced in Ukraine, are given, including: improvement of transport, social and public infrastructure in mountain regions; development of the concepts and programs of mountain territories’ development and state assistance to implementation of projects provided by them; creation of mountain territories’ support funds; providing subsidies to agricultural producers in mountain areas and promoting of their cooperation; assistance to the development of the sphere of tourism, resorts, traditional crafts and industries; promotion of jobs creation in mountain areas in the types of industrial activity, which do not have harmful environmental impact, orienting at the sphere of small and medium business; taking the specifics of mountain territories into account in the mechanisms of financial and budget equalization, etc. Special attention is paid to the importance of state assistance to economic development of mountain territories. The mechanism of investment activity stimulation at mountain territories is suggested. Peculiarities of the Law of Ukraine № 6439 «On amendments to some laws of Ukraine on strengthening the government guarantees for mountain and highland settlements» accepted to consideration by Verhovna Rada of Ukraine, which, in particular, stipulates allocation of the category of highland settlements, are outlined. Highland settlements are the mountain settlements located at 600 meters and higher above sea level. The article also provides the authors’ data on location of mountain settlements of Ukraine by absolute altitude.
The paper researches major results of decentralization reform conducted in Ukraine in 2015-2017, which stipulates creation of modern local self-governance system, in particular, forming of capable territorial communities through their consolidation. 665 consolidated territorial communities were created in the period, consisting of 28,3% of rural, town and city councils, which had existed before the reform. Meanwhile, consolidated territorial communities have gained budget independency and certain additional financial resources due to growth of tax and non-tax revenues, public subventions for solution of urgent social and economic development issues and increased opportunities to receive assistance from State Regional Development Fund, etc. It makes communities’ consolidation very attractive. However, only the communities consolidated according to perspective plans of community territories’ forming adopted in due course can get preferences. However, approaches to their development raise the warnings. The most complicated questions arise in initiation of creation of economically low-power rural consolidated territorial communities. In this context, the directions of realization of community’s economic capacity through creation of new job places, development of entrepreneurship and more efficient use of land and real property are outlined on the example of Dunayivska consolidated territorial community in Peremyshlyanskyi region of Lvivska oblast. Development of agricultural sector and tourism sphere at rural territories is emphasized, which should be deemed as an efficient factor of overcoming the single-industry nature of rural economy. Regarding the Dunayivska consolidated territorial community, solution of tourism entrepreneurship development issues is suggested to be commenced with elaboration of the program of tourism strategic development at local level, which should include the activities on creation of green tourism resorts at existing households as well as private places of tourists’ accommodation on the basis of buildings under exploitation; organization of horse riding, hiking and cycling routs; development and promotion of local crafts: pottery, carpentry, weaving, decorating of Easter eggs, wood carving, basket weaving, etc. Special attention is also paid to the urgent need for introduction of amendments to current mechanism of budget equalization and providing of public subventions (medical, educational, etc), taking rural areas’ features into account.
Kravtsiv, V. S., & Zhuk, P. V. (2013). Kontseptual’ni zasady rozrobky ta realizatsiyi derzhavnoyi prohramy staloho rozvytku Ukrayins’kykh Karpat [Conceptual principles of development and implementation of the state program of sustainable development of the Ukrainian Carpathians]. Ekonomika Ukrayiny – Economy of Ukraine, 1, 4-11. [in Ukrainian]. {sep2018.03.027.003}
Kravtsiv, V. S., & Zhuk, P. V. (2013). Kontseptual’ni zasady rozrobky ta realizatsiyi derzhavnoyi prohramy staloho rozvytku Ukrayins’kykh Karpat [Conceptual principles of development and implementation of the state program of sustainable development of the Ukrainian Carpathians]. Ekonomika Ukrayiny – Economy of Ukraine, 1, 4-11. Retrieved from http://nbuv.gov.ua/UJRN/EkUk_2013_1_2 [in Ukrainian]. {sep2018.04.058.001}
Zhuk, P. V., & Siryk, Z. O. (2017). Investytsiynyy potentsial terytorial’nykh hromad: sut’ ponyattya ta pytannya upravlinnya [Investment potential of territorial communities: the essence of the concept and issues of management]. Rehional’na ekonomika – Regional Economy, 84(2), 16-22. [in Ukrainian]. {sep2018.04.125.010}
Zhuk, P. V. (2015). Aktual’ni zavdannya ta shlyakhy reformuvannya administratyvno-terytorial’noho ustroyu v Ukrayini [Topical problems and ways of reforming the administrative-territorial system in Ukraine]. In Sotsial’no-ekonomichni problemy suchasnoho periodu Ukrayiny [Socio-Economic Problems of the Modern Period of Ukraine]: Vol. 111(1) (pp. 20-25). [in Ukrainian]. {sep2018.04.125.011}
Kravtsiv, V. S., Storonyanska, I. Z., & Zhuk, P. V. (2017). Reformuvannya terytorial’noyi osnovy mistsevoho samovryaduvannya v konteksti yoho finansovoyi spromozhnosti [Reforming the territorial basis of local self-government in the context of its financial capacity]. Ekonomika Ukrayiny – Economy of Ukraine, 1, 41-51. [in Ukrainian]. {sep2018.04.125.013}
Zhuk, P. V., & Pochtaruk, I. S. (2015). Restrukturyzatsiya vuhil’noyi promyslovosti Zakhidnoho rehionu Ukrayiny u konteksti svitovoho dosvidu [Restructuring of the coal industry of the Western region of Ukraine in the context of world experience]. Rehional’na ekonomika – Regional economy, 1(75), 167-175. [in Ukrainian]. {sep2019.01.003.014}
Zhuk, P. V. (2013). Pryrodno-resursnyy potentsial ta pryrodnyy kapital u paradyhmi staloho rozvytku Karpat·s'koho rehionu [Natural resource potential and natural capital in the paradigm of sustainable development of the Carpathian region]. In Sotsial'no-ekonomichni problemy suchasnoho periodu Ukrayiny [Socio-economic problems of the modern period of Ukraine]: Vol. 5(103) (pp. 48-57). [in Ukrainian]. {sep2019.03.003.010}
Siryk, Z. O., & Zhuk P., V. (2017). Investytsiynyy potentsial terytorial’nykh hromad: sut’ ponyattya ta pytannya upravlinnya [Investment potential of territorial communities: the essence of the concept and issues of management]. Rehional’na ekonomika – Regional economy, 2, 16-22. [in Ukrainian]. {sep2020.01.010.025}
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