Minister Anatoliy Blyznyuk

Ministry of Regional Development Building Foundations for Future Growth

Ukraine’s Ministry of Regional Development, Construction and Housing and Communal Services not only focuses on fostering economic development all over the country but also on establishing the right foundations for long term prosperity. Current projects to help Ukraine prepare to host the European Championships in 2012 illustrate Ukraine’s capacity to complete challenging initiatives and to plan effectively for the future.

Anatoliy Blyznyuk, Minister of Regional Development, Construction and Housing and Communal Services

Facilities for the European Championships are being built all over the country, including in Kiev, Donetsk and Lviv. Anatoliy Blyznyuk, Minister of Regional Development, Construction and Housing and Communal Services, says, “One project for the European Championships is to build a new stadium in Donetsk, which we are doing through a public private partnership. Ukraine has a new law to cover public private partnerships, and this is the first example of such a project. We have received no criticism about our preparations for the championships, and after they are over, Ukraine will be able to continue to use the new infrastructure put in place for this event.”

The Ministry of Regional Development, Construction and Housing and Communal Services takes a proactive approach towards Ukraine’s future. Anatoliy Blyznyuk explains, “We are currently working on combating corruption and fostering a competitive atmosphere. Ukraine has a stable government and a solid regulatory environment, and we have made a great deal of progress in a short time.”

Reducing bureaucratic stumbling blocks

One example of this progress is the process of obtaining permission to build a new hotel. This once took 450 days and involved many bureaucratic tangles as well as potential corruption hurdles, but now procedures are transparent and have been reduced to 90 days (30 days for land development permits and 60 days for construction permits). “We know why investors have avoided coming here and we are doing our best to cope with the problems in order to create a more business friendly environment,” the Minister says.

Ukraine offers outstanding development potential throughout the country, and the Ministry of Regional Development, Construction and Housing and Communal Services aims to help make the country’s investment appeal better known worldwide. Anatoliy Blyznyuk concludes, “Ukraine needs to upgrade its technologies, diversify its economy, and rebrand itself
internationally. We can offer very low cost labour and hundreds of industrial facilities that are not currently in use. Big companies can come to Ukraine and use these industrial facilities as the foundations for high potential business ventures. The Ministry ofRegional Development, Construction and Housing and Communal Services wants foreign companies to know that they will find the entire infrastructure they need here in Ukraine.”