ODESA, FEBRUARY 28th, 2012, CONTEXT-PRICHERNOMORIE —Vice Governor of Odesa Region Oleksandr Malin says Ukraine cannot adequately participate in EU’s as we live in the annual budgeting cycle, while the EU countries plan their budgets for 3 to 7 years, Context-Prichernomorie correspondent reports.

Mr Malin said today, 28 February.

“When we ask why we do not use international technical assistance, or why we get so few grants for scientific and social development, or why such a small amount of funding from European structural funds is alotted for our projects, social development, infrastructure… To me the answer is obvious — unfortunately, we still continue to live in a cycle of annual budgeting and planning our activities for the rare exception of some government programmes, only the annual short-term ones. At the same time, EU structural funds institutions, international financial institutions operate in three- or five-year cycles, 5, and in some cases even 7-year budgeting. And if today, for example, the Danube strategy for the EU discusses the amount of funding and facilities for the period from 2014 to 2016, we are living in 2012 as part of our budget for 2012, and today we cannot predict the content of the law on state budget with those rules which may or may not be in the budget code in 2014-2016. So today, we cannot adequately participate in such projects”, said Mr Malin.

“In this respect, I very much hope that the proposals that were heard from the President and the Primier, and from the former minister of finance, and now from the First Deputy Prime Minister, an increase in the budgeting cycle and the transition to middle and long-term planning of our budget programmes corresponding to the beat and rhythm of a new programme of economic development will be realized. Of course, this should lead us to living in at least the same rhythm, in which the European Union lives, and then we will be able to synchronize their plans with the plans, which are now being developed independently of us in the EU”, he added.