Maintaining equal number of host cities of the European Championships PDF Print
Friday, 29 May 2009 07:00
“Ukrainian authorities should strive to maintain an equal number of EURO 2012 host cities together with Poland”, Victor Yushchenko, President of Ukraine, said on Thursday. In his opinion, the facilities designed and erected for the 2012 European Championships should be financed in the first place.
"We must focus on the activities fostering the development of municipal infrastructure (stadiums, airports, municipal roads etc.), and ensure that these facilities are timely financed out of the state budget funds ", the President wrote in a letter to Yulya Tymoshenko.

According to Yushchenko, the facilities erected for EURO 2012 should be financed in the first place. The above in particular applies to the facilities that are scheduled for opening in 2009.
The President said that Kharkov is an example of a city that copes with insufficient funds for the development of infrastructure and requested Tymoshenko to solve the problem.

The problems experienced by Ukraine with the preparations for Euro 2012 are caused by, among other things, recurring conflicts of state authorities. According to an announcement made by the President's Chancellery, on Friday Yushchenko will make an attempt to persuade leading Ukrainian politicians to "become a team" for the purpose of the European Championships.
Apart from the President and Prime Minister, Yulya Tymoshenko, Parliament's Chairman, Volodymyr Litvin, and leader of the opposition, Viktor Yanukovich, were invited to the meeting scheduled for Friday.

According to UEFA's decision issued in mid-May, the Euro 2012 matches will take place in four Ukrainian cities provided that the Ukrainians manage to catch up with preparations by the end of November. Otherwise, the current 4x4 formula of host cities in Poland and Ukraine will be changed to the benefit of Poland.

source/PICTURE: PAP