Kyiv, 4 July 2014 – The structure of the Kyiv City Council Secretariat will allow a general inspectorate to be established seeking to fight corruption in governmental agencies. The level of corruption can be brought down by simplifying and cutting down a number of regulatory procedures. This was reported by the newly elected Secretary of the Kyiv City Council, Oleg Reznikov during his press briefing at the Ukraine Crisis Media Center. “It is impossible to eradicate corruption completely, it exists even in the ‘role model’ cities like Singapore, but to minimize it significantly is our top priority. Currently, the issuance of permits, registrations, certificates and copies is over-regulated. One of the tasks Kyiv authorities are facing is to simplify regulatory procedures. Our plan is to cancel all regulatory acts that are stumbling blocks for business activities. Development of business and attraction of investment is impossible without transparent procedures,” Oleksiy Reznikov explained.
A pilot ‘single window’ program has already been launched in the Desnyanskyi district. The plan is to expand the program geographically in the future. The Kyiv City Council Secretary also mentioned that a new website is being developed which will allow the citizens of Kyiv and local authorities to communicate online. As his programs are implemented, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, together with his team, will follow these basic principles: transparency, legitimacy, openness and efficiency.
Answering a question about property development in Kyiv, Oleksiy Reznikov said that the capital will have its Master Plan as early as in September. The approved Master Plan will prevent Kyiv’s land from being sold “to anyone for dubious reasons.” “Chaotic development has been happening in Kyiv because it hasn’t had a Master Plan for many years. To develop the city, local authorities need to understand the development design for 30 years ahead. One other problem is that Kyiv does not have a chief architect. We are looking for a person who would be willing and able to become chief architect, whose goal is not to use authority over city’s architecture to lobby his own architectural bureau and win contracts from potential clients. This is why I publicly invite people to apply. We need a professional who will embody this city’s architectural conscience, and who will promote this culture and this conscience,” he stressed.