Official news of the Volyn Regional State Administration for March 3, 2005.

* Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko introduced the new head of the UMVS of Ukraine in the Volyn region, Mykhailo Lebed. Previously, the colonel held the position of head of the criminal police of the UMVS of Ukraine in the Kherson region. From May 2001 to December 2002, he served as first deputy head of the department – head of the Department for Combating Organized Crime of the UMVS of Ukraine in the Volyn region. After the official part, Yuriy Lutsenko, Volodymyr Bondar and Mykhailo Lebed held a press conference for representatives of all-Ukrainian and local media. Answering journalists' questions, they outlined the priority tasks of the Volyn police, including solving high-profile crimes, illegal customs clearance of cars, and bringing to criminal responsibility those involved in election falsification.

* A conference of judges of the courts of general jurisdiction of the region was held recently. Those present discussed the state of administration of justice in the region regarding the protection of citizens' rights and freedoms and the legitimate interests of the state during the consideration of cases in 2004, and issues of financial, material, technical and organizational support in the current year. The head of the regional state administration, Volodymyr Bondar, took part in the conference and thanked the representatives of the judicial sphere present for their high level of professionalism and proper performance of their civic duty during the election campaign, and assured that the new government, in the person of President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko and Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko, would pay significant attention to the economic problems of the courts.

*A regular staff meeting was held, chaired by the head of the regional state administration, Volodymyr Bondar. Those present discussed the state of salary payments in budgetary institutions, settlements for consumed energy resources, and considered issues of preparation for spring field work and providing the region's farmers with mineral fertilizers and fuel and lubricants. Acting first deputy head of the regional state administration Bohdan Shyba and other acting deputy heads of the RSA expressed their vision for resolving the above-mentioned issues. As Volodymyr Nalkovych noted, from now on operational meetings will be held in a working format, since there is no need to distract people from performing their work. An administrative reform is ongoing in the state, which will also affect the structure of the regional state administration. Every third department will be liquidated. The process of hiring and dismissal will be civilized.

* The head of the regional state administration, Volodymyr Bondar, held a meeting with employees of the regional state forestry administration. The head of this structure, Bohdan Kolisnyk, in his report focused on the situation in the forestry complex of Volyn and outlined the main problematic issues. In particular, the issue of increasing the number of wild animals in the region, resolving the problems of illegal export of timber outside the region, and others. Speaking before those present, Volodymyr Bondar emphasized that from now on foresters will engage exclusively in professional activity and will not participate in political campaigns. It is a matter of honor to prove to people that foresters are engaged not only in politics, but by doing their work they defend the interests of the people and the state.

*"I am ready for dialogue" – with these words began the meeting of the head of the regional state administration, Volodymyr Bondar, with the staff of the state tax administration in the region. Those present discussed ways to implement the priority tasks of tax officials, in particular, creating favorable conditions for bringing the economy out of the shadows, ensuring an individual approach to each business entity, and the transition of the tax administration from a punitive body to an analytical one.

* The head of the regional state administration, Volodymyr Bondar, met with the heads of the State Border Service of the region. During the meeting with the head of the Northern Regional Directorate, Colonel Anatoliy Khartiuk, and the head of the Lutsk border detachment, Lieutenant Colonel Viktor Melnychenko, the strategy for arranging and developing the infrastructure of the state border within the administrative territories of the region's districts was discussed, as well as issues of border guards' work in detecting violations of legislation on border issues, fulfilling tasks in combating corruption and organized crime, and illegal migration.

* "National and regional programs for promoting the development of small entrepreneurship as instruments of state policy for business development" – this was the title of the round table organized in Kyiv by the Committee on Industrial Policy and Entrepreneurship of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. At the meeting held on February 28, issues of financing the national and regional programs for the development of small entrepreneurship and the problems of 2005 were considered, the effectiveness of the measures of these programs was analyzed, and recommendations for improving their effectiveness and efficiency were discussed. Acting deputy head of the regional state administration Vasyl Baitsym took part in the work of the round table. On March 1, he also participated in the last expanded meeting of the Supervisory Committee of the project "Improving the Environment for the Development of Small and Medium Entrepreneurship in Ukraine," where the results of the project implementation were discussed.

* The issue of increasing meat production was considered recently at a meeting-seminar in the city of Chernivtsi. Acting deputy head of the regional state administration Vitaliy Zaremba took part in the meeting on behalf of Volyn. Speaking before those present, Vitaliy Mykolayovych noted that in Volyn the volume of gross livestock production in all categories of farms increased compared to the previous year by 46.3 million hryvnias, or by 5.9%. As of January 1, 2005, the number of cattle in all categories of farms amounted to 282.1 thousand head, which is 6.7% less than on January 1 of last year. There are enough problems in the industry, and work is needed to resolve them.

* The Relay of Victory is now in Ukraine. On October 28, 2004, at the Domabove checkpoint in the Ratniv district, to mark the 60th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, a solemn handover of the Relay took place from border guards of the Republic of Belarus (Maloryta border detachment) to border guards of Ukraine (Lutsk border detachment). Representatives of the regional state administration, local authorities, military personnel, and the public of both states took part in the event. The celebrations then continued at the memorial "To the Victims of Fascism" in the village of Kortelisy, where a rally was held and flowers were laid at the grave of the deceased residents.

*"Ratings of local television and radio broadcasters in the regions" – the results of a sociological survey on exactly this topic were recently approved by a decision of the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting. According to the results obtained, in the city of Lutsk the top five television channels are as follows: the most popular channel can be considered "1+1," whose audience share is 17.2%, followed by "Inter" (16.81%), "Channel 5" (10.95%), TRK "Avers" (8.1%), and "Novy Kanal" (7.8%). The top five radio broadcasters are determined by: "Nashe Radio" (20.02%), "Radio Lux" (11.46%), "Radio Lutsk" (9.17%), "Volynske Radio" (9.05%), and "Radio Era" (7.84%). The share of respondents who do not watch television at all is 12.03%, and those who do not listen to radio is 24.49%.