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, was a special unit of administrative division in Ukraine from 2015 to 2020. First created in 2015, amalgamated hromadas were 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. 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.[1] As of 2020 the amalgamated hromadas already took over most tasks of the raions (education, healthcare, sport facilities, culture, and social welfare).[2]

On 12 June 2020 the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine established the basic level of administrative division of Ukraine covering its whole territory except for Crimea. All previously established amalgamated hromadas, as well as preexisting hromadas, were subsumed by new units called simply hromadas or territorial communities (Ukrainian: територіальна громада, romanized: terytorialna hromada).[3]

History

Active formation of these communities started in 2015 and was part of the decentralization reform.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's June 2014 draft constitutional amendments proposed changing the administrative divisions of Ukraine, which should include oblasts, raions 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 than the Raions of Ukraine were ever allowed to.[2]

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.[1]

On 12 June 2020 the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine established the basic level of administrative division of Ukraine covering its entire territory except for Crimea. All previously established amalgamated hromadas, as well as preexisting hromadas, were subsumed by new units called simply hromadas or territorial communities (Ukrainian: територіальна громада, romanized: terytorialna hromada).[3]

References
  1. Development strategies already approved in 19 regions of Ukraine, Ukrinform (7 April 2020)
  2. Where did 354 districts disappear to? Anatomy of loud reform, Glavcom (7 August 2020) (in Ukrainian)
  3. "That which never existed in Ukraine: The Cabinet of Ministers established the basic level of administrative division which will ensure ubiquity of local governance". decentralization.gov.ua. Archived from the original on 15 July 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  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. Archived from the original on 28 December 2018. 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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