Today, the Permanent Representative, Tamila Tasheva, delivered the opening speech at the High-Level Dialogue “Good Democratic Governance in Ukraine: Achievements, Challenges, and the Way Forward in the Post-War Period” in Strasbourg, France. The event was organized by the Council of Europe under the auspices of the secretariats of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and the European Commission for Democracy through Law.

During her speech, the Permanent Representative endorsed the recent decision of the European Court of Human Rights, which recognized the responsibility of the Russian Federation for mass and systemic human rights violations in occupied Crimea. She emphasized that this decision is an important step toward establishing justice and prosecuting the aggressor.

In her speech, Ms. Tasheva focused on the state policy of reintegration and the development of de-occupied territories:

First, we should concentrate on restoring public authority, which includes resuming the activities of governmental bodies, law enforcement agencies, and other institutions in the liberated territories. It is crucial to provide security, manage the reintegration of these territories into the state framework, and normalize the lives of the local population.

The Permanent Representative noted that starting in September 2022, the Mission, along with state authorities and experts, developed a vision of priority steps following the de-occupation of Crimea. One of these steps is the restoration of state institutions’ activities in Crimea, which ceased operations at the beginning of the temporary occupation of the peninsula. In cooperation with ministries, members of parliament, and experts, a draft Law of Ukraine on the peculiarities of the restoration of public power in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol was developed. The document proposes a mechanism for restoring public power in the territories of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation and in the city of Sevastopol. This includes the creation of military administrations, even at the republican level, until conditions are established for holding elections and the full restoration of state bodies and local self-government.

Additionally, as part of the preparations for the de-occupation of Crimea, programs were launched to form a personnel reserve and provide training through preparatory courses and educational programs for future managers who will work in the liberated territories.

Ms. Tasheva also highlighted the priority steps following the de-occupation of Crimea and the post-war reconstruction:

Ensuring security, restoring the voter register, resuming court activities, providing access to national mass media, and limiting Russian interference are the primary tasks of the Ukrainian authorities in the process of restoring state governance in the de-occupied territories.

The discussion also highlighted that, while Ukraine implemented a decentralization reform creating united territorial communities, this reform did not extend to the temporarily occupied territories. The Permanent Representative underscored the necessity of initiating decentralization processes, which are crucial for reinstating the activities of regional authorities. To address this, the Law of Ukraine “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine Regarding the Resolution of Certain Issues of the Administrative and Territorial System of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea,” enacted just before the Crimea Platform Summit in 2023, was put into effect. Under this law, the relevant Ministry, in partnership with the Mission and other stakeholders, has prepared governmental documents. These documents outline the establishment of 40 territorial communities and the reorganization of regional state administrations based on new zoning guidelines. These measures will aid in the seamless integration of the de-occupied territory into Ukraine’s overall administrative-territorial framework and will rejuvenate the regional administration system.

In the speech, it was also mentioned that the process of transition from a military administration to a civilian legal regime is complex and will require careful planning and gradual implementation by government institutions.

The Permanent Representative emphasized that the option proposed in the draft Law of Ukraine on the peculiarities of the restoration of public power in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol will make it possible to ensure the realization of the rights of Ukrainian citizens and the management of the processes of restoration of public administration and the establishment of reintegration processes immediately after the de-occupation of Crimea.