On April 24, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced the adoption of a government package of decisions on deregulation of the construction sector. According to her, this is a response to the main business demand — less bureaucracy and clearer rules. But if you look at the details, the picture is more complex.
What was actually adopted
The first change is the choice of authority for receiving administrative services. Previously, the construction customer was tied to a specific institution.
"We are introducing an experimental mechanism — the construction customer will be able to choose where to receive administrative services, at the local authority (DABK) or at DIAM. The goal is to create an alternative in the system and speed up document receipt."
— Yulia Svyrydenko, Prime Minister
The second change is the mechanism for appealing refusals to provide urban planning conditions and restrictions. According to Svyrydenko, currently even a formal or unfounded refusal can halt a project for months. The government is trying to close this gap at the level of resolutions.
Where the line between reform and assignment lies
The most systemic part of the package — establishing clear deadlines for appealing construction decisions — so far exists only as a directive to the Ministry of Development and the Ministry of Justice to prepare the appropriate bill. That is, the key norm has not been adopted: it still needs to be written, submitted to the Council, and voted on.
This is an important nuance: the government can issue resolutions about its own procedures, but it cannot change appeal deadlines without a law. Therefore, part of the "package" is actually a plan for the future, not a ready-made tool.
Context worth keeping in mind
The competition between DABK and DIAM itself is not a new idea. Analysts previously noted: when a digital system has corruption built into it, changing the name of the authority does not eliminate it — it only shifts the pressure point. As experts noted in industry publications, the previous reform that created DIAM improved conditions mainly for large business (CC2 and CC3 class facilities — about 10% of all construction), while for small business and private developers (90% of CC1 class facilities) the situation worsened.
- Experiment with choice of authority — Cabinet resolution, in effect now
- Mechanism for appealing refusals to provide urban planning conditions — also a resolution
- Clear deadlines for appealing decisions — only a directive to develop a bill
Svyrydenko emphasized that these decisions are "part of a comprehensive urban planning reform," and the next step should be legislative changes. That is, the government itself acknowledges: without the Verkhovna Rada, the reform remains incomplete.
What comes next
The real test for this package will not be the date of resolution adoption, but the speed of bill registration in the Council and whether concrete deadlines with official penalties for violations will appear in it — rather than just recommendatory norms. If the bill arrives in parliament without sanctions for delays, deregulation risks remaining merely a shift from one window to another.
