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Regional cooperation is the ”way forward”, says Ukraine mayor

Regions and cities in Europe can help tackle the current crisis in the EU, according to the Mayor of Odessa. Gennadiy Trukhavnov was in Brussels on Thursday for a series of high level meetings with his Brussels counterpart and senior EU officials

By: EBR - Posted: Monday, October 10, 2016

Trukhavnov, a tireless anti-corruption campaigner, said one of the main tasks for Odessa, a major sea port in Ukraine, was to create industrial parks, strengthening the banks and shore of the Black Sea that runs through the city and an improved system of water purification. ”We have a bad ecological situation in Odessa that has to be addressed,” he noted.
Trukhavnov, a tireless anti-corruption campaigner, said one of the main tasks for Odessa, a major sea port in Ukraine, was to create industrial parks, strengthening the banks and shore of the Black Sea that runs through the city and an improved system of water purification. ”We have a bad ecological situation in Odessa that has to be addressed,” he noted.

by Martin Banks

In a wide ranging interview with this website, he spoke about efforts to tackle corruption, the role of regions in Europe's future and "positive changes" in Odessa, a city with a population the same as Brussels. The main aim of the visit, he said, was to help forge closer relations between Odessa and Europe, saying  that at present, there were not sufficient "productive contacts" between the two sides.

One of the reasons for this was the perception of endemic corruption in Ukraine, which he says remains "one of the main obstacles" to the country's development. However, he says he is "particularly committed" to addressing the issue during his five-year term in office. He cited several examples of successes on this front since he became mayor in 2014. These include, he said, implementation of new policies granted to Ukraine cities, including Odessa, under the central government's de-centralisation plans.

It is the  first time powers have been devolved to the regions in  the country  and Trukhavnov said his administration had been quick to "take advantage" of  its new found competences. The city is fast becoming a "smart city", a concept currently championed by the EU, including introducing measures on e-government and e-tickets.

Although the police remain under state control, local security has also been addressed with the installation of close circuit TV cameras. Under the de-centralisation programme, the city budget has also been boosted substantially and taxation revenue, which had previously been corruptly siphoned off, was now being used for the benefit of local inhabitants. "It has given us the opportunity," he said, "to utilise funds which had, in the past, had been lost to corruption." But challenges remain, he said, including making progress on what he calls the "5T's" - transport, technology, trade, tourism and trust. "Trust is obviously important, particularly when you consider the past problems of corruption."

Trukhavnov, a tireless anti-corruption campaigner, said one of the main tasks for Odessa, a major sea port in Ukraine, was to create industrial parks, strengthening the banks and shore of the Black Sea that runs through the city and an improved system of water purification. "We have a bad ecological situation in Odessa that has to be addressed," he noted.

Another key task was increasing the volume of medical vaccinations which, in the past, had mostly been supplied by Russia but were now generally very low. "As city mayor this is my responsibility but it is also an area where the EU's vaccination programme could specifically help and that is one of the things I have been discussing " said  Trukhavnov, who served as a city councillor in Odessa from 2005 and previously had a career in the military. Other issues include the creation of free-trade zones  and developing closer trade partnerships with the EU and member states.

"To us, these are all very important strategic challenges," he said. Emphasising Odessa's European credentials, he pointed out that the city had been "built by Europeans" and boasts 130 nationalities among its 1.1m population. The official, who is half way through his mandate having been elected with 52 per cent of the vote, met Emma Udwin, deputy head of cabinet of EU enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn. Hahn is also responsible for Ukraine and the Ukraine Support Group. He later met Brussels Mayor Yvan Mayeur and Maria Asenius, head of cabinet for EU trade commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom. He described the meetings as "very productive", saying they had "met all my expectations."  

He will seek a second term, "It is important to have these sort of one on one meetings. There have been lots of positive changes in Odessa, and Ukraine, in recent years and this is an opportunity to explain this. It is also important that the message comes, not from central government, but regional leaders and local administrations." He added, "The importance of regions and cities like Odessa is recognised now more than ever and I hope more attention can be paid to the role we can play. Regional cooperation is definitely the way forward."

While it is the Donbass conflict that grabs the headlines Trukhavnov, a keen Thai boxer and president of the European Federation of Thai Boxing, says he is determined to continue fighting the corner for Odessa and his country. Looking to the future, he remains "optimistic" that Ukraine can join the EU fold. "Do I think Ukraine may one day join the EU? Yes, it has every chance. Let's put it like this, its credentials are certainly no worse than some of those that have already been allowed to join."

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