Amalgamated hromada

An amalgamated hromada or amalgamated territorial community (Ukrainian: об'єднана територіальна громада, romanized: obiednana terytorialna hromada), also known as a united territorial community, is a basic unit of administrative division in Ukraine. First created in 2015, amalgamated hromadas are formed through the voluntary merger of preexisting hromadas, a form of third-level administrative unit including cities, villages, urban-type settlements, and rural settlements, to form a new enlarged administrative unit. According to December 2019 draft constitutional changes submitted to parliament by President Volodymyr Zelensky amalgamated hromadas are planned to replace the Raions of Ukraine as a second-level administrative unit.[1] On 6 March 2020 Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal stated that (at the time) 1,045 amalgamated hromadas had been established and that 350 more had to be created.[2] The amalgamated hromadas have already taken over most tasks of the raions (education, healthcare, sport facilities, culture, and social welfare).[3]

Amalgamated hromadas of Ukraine as of 2020

This article is about a basic unit of administrative division in Ukraine. For its usage in Poland, see Gromada. For its usage in Belarus, see Hramada.

History

Active formation of these communities started in 2015 and is part of couple of reforms such as the decentralization reform and the administrative division reform. It is planned that they will replace all hromada councils (third-level administrative units).

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's June 2014 draft constitutional amendments proposed changing the administrative divisions of Ukraine, which should include regions, districts and "hromadas".[4]

On 5 February 2015 the Ukrainian parliament adopted the law "On voluntary association of territorial communities" that creates amalgamated hromadas meaning settlement councils, rural councils and a city of district significance can create a new administrative unit.[5] Any amalgamated hromada with a city as an administrative centre is an urban hromada, any amalgamated hromada with an urban-type settlement as an administrative centre is a settlement hromada, and any amalgamated hromada with a village as an administrative centre is a rural hromada.[6] New local elections in these amalgamated hromadas were then held.[7] 226 will be holding elections in 2018 and 2019.[8] The first 252 were held in 2017.[9]

The Law "On Local Self-Government in Ukraine" stipulates that local budgets should have enough money to be administered by local self-government bodies.[10] Because many of the small rural councils and cities of district significance could never hope to do this the new administrative unit amalgamated hromada was created.[10] amalgamated hromadas collect and spend more local taxes then the Raions of Ukraine were ever allowed to.[3]

amalgamated hromadas are planned to replace the Raions according to December 2019 draft constitutional changes submitted to parliament by President Volodymyr Zelensky.[1]

On 6 March 2020 Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal stated that 1,045 amalgamated hromadas had already been established in Ukraine, noting that 350 more had to be created.[2]

List of amalgamated hromadas
Main article: List of amalgamated hromadas of Ukraine

References
  1. "Zelensky's decentralization: without features of Donbass, but with districts and prefects". BBC Ukrainian (in Ukrainian). 16 December 2019.
  2. Development strategies already approved in 19 regions of Ukraine, Ukrinform (7 April 2020)
  3. Where did 354 districts disappear to? Anatomy of loud reform, Glavcom (7 August 2020) (in Ukrainian)
  4. Poroshenko suggests granting status of regions to Crimea, Kyiv, Sevastopol, creating new political subdivision of 'community' Archived 1 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Interfax-Ukraine (26 June 2014)
  5. "Decentralization". The Reforms Guide. 10 February 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  6. "Glossary". Decentralization Reform. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  7. Batkivschyna party says it gets most votes at local elections, Interfax Ukraine (25 December 2017)
    Police investigate voter bribing cases as local elections held in 51 territorial communities, UNIAN (25 December 2017)
  8. Elections Are Around the Corner, and Ukraine’s Political Parties Are Not Ready, Atlantic Council (6 December 2017)
  9. INTERIM REPORT ON OBSERVATION RESULTS OF THE FIRST LOCAL ELECTIONS IN UNITED TERRITORIAL COMMUNITIES ON 29 October 2017 (19.10.2017 26.10.2017) Archived 28 December 2018 at the Wayback Machine, OPORA (31 October 2017)
    Ukraine holds elections in 51 UTCs today Archived 26 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine, OPORA (24 December 2017)
  10. (in Ukrainian) Elections in the united territorial communities. What is this and what you need, Espreso TV (31 October 2017)
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