Ukraine needs at least five years to reform its housing and communal services, believes Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Construction, Architecture and Housing and Communal Services Volodymyr Rybak. \n \n"At least five years are needed to put the housing and communal services in order, and for this it is necessary to invest 6-7 billion hryvnias annually," the minister said at the All-Ukrainian conference call on heating season issues. \n \nThe minister also noted that enterprises providing housing and communal services, which will begin to replace housing maintenance offices (ZhEKs) starting next year, should help resolve problems in the housing and communal sector. "The ZhEKs that exist today are not working. I want to stimulate the creation of enterprises providing services to the population instead of ZhEKs in 2007," noted V. Rybak. \n \n \n