Policy on Regional Social Economic Development Programs and Plans

No matter what the conditions is like today the Regional State Administration still works. People's well-being depends on its work. The government policy is directed to increase the quality of life for the Transcarpathian people. That was a main theme of press-conference held by Ivan Rizak, the Transcarpathian Regional State administration head.

The Gubernator first expressed his opinion about the results of Russia Year in Ukraine -a year-long celebration of Russian-Ukrainian friendship and culture. He was an official member of the project closing which was conducted last week in Kiev. Ivan Rizak declared: "Russian Year in Ukraine was a successful project of the Independent States Union relationship".

The main result of this year, as Leonid Kuchma the President, said is: "The full mutual understanding that we relate to each other and in the same time we differ from each other. We see things in different ways and give different estimations to the facts."

This was proved last autumn, as the President of Ukraine said when Russia and Ukraine negotiated about the Ukrainian island of Kosa Tuzla.

Today we can say that the governments of both countries have already solved the uneasy problem in a civilized way as between good neighbors.

The head of the Regional State Administration underlined that the main task of Ukrainian-Russian relationship is economic projects such as the United Economic Area creation work which became very successful when the main focus was directed to the economy instead of policy. The second serious economic project concerns the gas transportation consortium between Ukraine and Russia. The third one - the sum of trade turnover between Russia and Ukraine in 2003 should be 30 percent higher than in the previous year. The Ukrainian President thinks this is great progress and expects further progress.

Ivan Rizak paid attention to two historical events such as the 350 year anniversary of Pereyaslov Rada and the 85 year anniversary of the Union Act between Ukrainian National Republic and West-Ukrainian National Republic. These events were almost congruent with the official closing of Russian Year celebrations in Ukraine.

Moreover, the Head of the state in his speech on the occasion of Integration Day, noted: "We must stop the irresponsible attempts to spread disunion and disharmony for political partisanship in our society, stop to make the disagreements between political parties, fractions and deputies as national problem".

That is the main task of regional government. One of its main activities in the next year will be a work concerning the strategic partnership with Poland which begins on February 1 between our countries.

The Gubernator spoke about the President's Order on pension reform effectiveness and he said that the document was very pertinent. The discussions on it have continued so the Head of the state noted that the government must use all measures to sustain the quality of life for pensioners and prevent unreasonable increases of price and tariffs on consumer staples, household services and medicines.

The conclusion from the Order is the President must pay special attention to the social problems of senior citizens.

This is also true for the regional governments. Solving the social-economic problems of the region is the main task of government. Its activities depend on this aim.

In Tuesday the meeting was devoted to work results. The common conclusion is the Program on Transcarpathia social-economic development was fulfilled, but it is too early to say that the problems were solved. There are many unused reserves and opportunities. This sentence is not just a simple set phrase for Ivan Rizak and he is convinced of it daily at meetings and work with the District State Administrations.

This year the main task of the regional administration will concern regional gasification. This is a priority because the program on rural settlements gasification was signed and there will be no concessions from the Head of the region. He changed the plan of State budget payments for gasification. From that time the money will be given to the districts. The heads of the districts work actively trying to find the financial sources, investors and to propose new ways of problem solving. For that time the regional government can not always get money from state budgets, but must cooperate in different funding initiatives, but they will be rewarded for this work.

The length of gas mains is now 4,500 km. Natural gas is used by 183 thousands houses and flats so 10,696 people received gas last year. A total of 24 million gryvnyas was spent on this development. The main problem now is the unfinished gas mains. Last year there were 600 km of unfinished mains, but now there are 200 km.

During the conference the ecological problems were discussed. The policy problem also was discussed.

The journalists were interested in problems concerning the cooperation with Transcarpathian national deputies. Ivan Michajlovich pays attention to this problem almost every press conference because he thinks that national deputies can help regional government. It is pity, but not every deputy shows willingness to cooperate. They want to cooperate only on a barter basis: 'I'll do something for you and you'll do something for me.' The Gubernator answered them: "We are not at the market and that is why the bargain is inadmissible. The important thing for us is to solve region problems. That's all."

Will the national deputies Serhij Ratushnyak, Victor Baloga and Ivan Ivancho understand it? We'll see.



Olesya Sokovyk