MYKOLIAV, FEBRUARY 21st, 2011, CONTEXT-PRICHERNOMORIE — Mayors of small towns in Mykolaiv Oblast studied self-government experience in Norway, Context-Prichernomorie correspondent reports.

The agency has been informed about it today, 21 February, at Mykolaiv Regional Office of the Association of Ukrainian Cities.

Within the framework of collaboration between Mykolaiv regional and local authorities and the Association of Ukrainian Cities, mayors of small towns in Mykolaiv and Odesa Oblasts went to Oslo to study the experience of their colleagues.

The mayors were studying Norwegian experience in increasing the efficiency of local self-government bodies, which is being successfully used in a number of towns in Poland, at the Balkans and the Baltic countries. It provides creation of working groups uniting specialists from several towns that are ready for reforms. It may concern different areas: keeping up housing stock, upgrade of water supply, medical care, pre-school education, and work with youth.

During their internship, Ukrainian mayors familiarized with the system of power in Norway, budget-forming process and monitoring of local democracy permanently carried out by the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities. The participants had also a chance to see the work of the state accommodation bank of Norway and medical care services.

There are two working groups already operating in Ukraine — on in medical sphere (6 towns) and the other one is managing housing stock issues (11 participating towns).