World Bank mission to draft the administrative reform in Ukraine ended its work last week. Its experts are finishing evaluation of Ukraine’s compliance with the preliminary conditions required by bank to start financing a project that may amount to a $200 million credit to cover the budget deficit. According to Larysa Leshchenko, project coordinator, this mission will be the final one. The result will be either the Board’s approval or suspension of credit. Such loans are badly needed by Ukraine, of course. Yet, Ms. Leshchenko says the Ukrainian side is still to carry out a number of preliminary conditions: passing the bill on the Cabinet of Ministers, completing reform at the government’s secretariat, signing the presidential edict on the strategy of the civil service reform. The Day contacted the World Bank office in Ukraine, trying to find out about the experts’ mood. However, the office declined comment until the mission had completed work. Below are commentaries by a Ukrainian government official and a Ukrainian businessman.
Yuri YEKHANUROV, First Deputy Premier:
The main task facing the Cabinet is complying with the presidential edicts issued in late December, most importantly, organizing new ministries and agencies, and liquidating old ones. We have to practically form a new Cabinet which means above all reorganizing the Secretariat. We are through the first stage of modernization, yet calling this a substantive reform would be premature. We are actively considering proposals concerning the formation of so-called government committees, so we can deal with matters at Cabinet sittings that have been previously coordinated. So far we have four working models of such committees (I, for one, will head the economic development committee). This is a serious innovation meant to rid Cabinet meetings of unnecessary discussion. Instead, we will concentrate on putting certain issues to the vote.
Another important aspect is enhancing the role of ministries. A minister, as a key figure, must be responsible for coordinating issues with other ministries and agencies. This is a very complex task, for everybody is accustomed to act as instructed by the Cabinet, so very little was done along the ministerial horizontal.
The law On the Cabinet of Ministers is of utmost importance. The draft is being coordinated with the Presidential Administration, and I hope the bill will be passed before the end of March.
One shouldn’t expect any sensations from the administrative reform. Of course, it is interesting to know who lost what post, but it is not the point. A ministry, like a ship, must have its crew headed by its captain to steer the vessel on the right course.
YVolodymyr BARABASH, member of the New Formation business association:
All that noise about administrative reform leaves one with a less than pleasant impression. Why? Because one does not sense a sincere approach to this issue which has long not only matured but become overripe. The overall concept of administrative reform has never been made public. A closer look shows that it is just another package of directives. The declaration made at the highest level about this reform being necessary and that it will be carried out sounds sincere. But this in turn leaves one with serious doubts about the implementation of the project the way it was originally conceived. At times it seems more like a polite gesture in response to the requirements of certain international organizations. They say all right, boys, you don’t do this little here, and you won’t get any money from us, period. So what do we do? Staff reductions here, merging bureaucratic structures there, but the functions remain the same. The Premier has to do a great many things he shouldn’t do and the bureaucrats on the side do all such things with pleasure, for that’s how they earn their living. I don’t believe in the success of this project. It will succeed only when the state begins to see the administrative reform as its own internal need.
