The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has registered the draft Law of Ukraine “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine on Certain Issues of the Administrative and Territorial Structure of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea” (Reg. No. 9548).

The draft law, developed in cooperation with the Members of Parliament of Ukraine, envisages the implementation of the decisions adopted by the Parliament in 2016 and 2020 on the decommunization of the names of settlements and the introduction of a new district division of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. Previously, these decisions were supposed to be implemented after de-occupation, but it was decided that the groundwork for de-occupation should be prepared now.

It also provides for the Government to determine the territories and administrative centers of territorial communities in Crimea without developing long-term plans.

The final and transitional provisions instruct the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine to determine the territories and administrative centers of territorial communities in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea within one month, and within three months to establish district state administrations of new districts and submit to the Parliament a draft law on the peculiarities of restoring public authority in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea after de-occupation.

The adoption of the draft law will create the preconditions for effective de-occupation, in particular, it will provide an opportunity to establish district military administrations and military administrations on the territory of territorial communities. Also, executive authorities will be able to plan the restoration of their territorial units, taking into account the new administrative and territorial structure.

We would like to thank the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Organization of State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning, in particular Olena Shulyak, the Head of the Committee, and Vitaliy Bezgin, the Head of the relevant subcommittee, for supporting the initiative of the Mission to develop the draft law and submit it to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

We look forward to its prompt consideration by the Parliament.