Monthly Report for May 2006
	The following are the key events of May 2006:
	State Strategy of Regional Development
	The Ministry of Economy of Ukraine prepared the finalized version of the Strategy and submitted it for approval to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on 15 May 2006.
	Regional Contracts
	The Ministry of Economy of Ukraine submitted the Model Regional Contract and the Procedure of Contractual Principles Implementation in Relationships between the National Executive Authorities and the Local Self-Government Bodies for approval to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
	In the first half of June the Government Committee on Economic Policy will review the Model Regional Contract and the Procedure of Contractual Principles Implementation in Relationships between the National Executive Authorities and the Local Self-Government Bodies. After the review the documents will be finally approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
	State Capital Investment Grants
	Based on the trainings held in Kyiv in February and in Krakow, Poland, in April, the specialists of Division for Stimulation of Regions Development, which is a part of the Regional Policy Department of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, drew up the Draft Institutional and Technical Procedures for Preparation, Assessment, and Distribution of the State Capital Investment Grants, which also include the Draft Procedure for Provision of Subventions from the State Budget of Ukraine for Implementation of Investment Projects.
	The Draft Institutional and Technical Procedures include the procedure for selection of investment projects, the plan for generation of the list of investment projects which intend to use the state budget funds, the procedure for investments distribution among selected projects, and the system of control over the use of public investments.
	Methodology for Defining and Ranking of Depressed Regions and Territories
	The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved the Procedure for Monitoring of Development Indicators in the Oblasts, the Rayons, the Cities of Crimean Republican Significance, and the Cities of Oblast Significance for Defining and Ranking of Depressed Territories. The Procedure is drafted in accordance with the Ukrainian legislation in order to facilitate implementation of the Law of Ukraine "On the Stimulation of Regional Development" approved by the Parliament of Ukraine on 8 September 2005.
	Regional Development Agencies
	The finalized Draft Model of a Regional Development Agency elaborated by the members of the LARGIS II Project working group was submitted to the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine.
	LARGIS II Final Event
	On 25 May 2006 the final round table of the Project was held in the conference room of the "Rus" Hotel. The participants were the representatives of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, of the Project Team, and of the Department for International Development (DFID), the donor of the Project; Ukrainian and international experts; and the representatives of other organizations and projects. The purpose of the round table was to present the package of new instruments elaborated in order to foster sustainable regional development in Ukraine.
	The representatives of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine and the Ukrainian experts made presentations on each component of the Project. During the round-table discussion the international experts of the Project provided their comments and conclusions on the Project results from the perspective of European practice.
	All the documents distributed during the round table (Ukrainian and English version) will be soon posted on the website of the Project http://www.largis.org.ua/largis2/english/report.htm
	Duncan Leitch LARGIS II Director
	Tetyana Korneyeva LARGIS II Coordinator
	June 2006