Ukraine sets up commission to push forward decentralization

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Tuesday signed a decree setting up a commission to push forward a constitutional reform on government decentralization.

"The signing of the document marks the start of a new, very important stage of the constitutional reform," Poroshenko was quoted by his press service as saying.

The commission, led by Parliament Speaker Volodymyr Groysman, will develop instruments to carry out the constitutional reform and provide advices to the government on the reform process.

Pursuing a comprehensive constitutional reform, Ukraine plans to give bigger autonomy and more political powers to regions in a bid to ease centralized control of local governments.

Decentralization of powers has been one of key demands voiced by protesters in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions, who are seeking independence from Kiev.

Last month, Groysman said that the constitutional reform on decentralization will be implemented in Ukraine by October. Endi