On Nov. 29, 2006, an overwhelming majority of Lutsk City Rada members voted for adoption of the Economic Development Strategic Plan drafted for the city in October with assistance from the USAID Local Economic Development (LED) project.
As in the other 26 LED project target cities that have worked out their plans for economic development and/or investment attraction, the Lutsk economic strategy was elaborated in so-called community-based planning process. In late June, 2006, Lutsk Mayor Bohdan Shyba invited about 30 representatives from local enterprises, educational institutions, authorities, etc. to serve on an Expert Committee for the strategic plan development. Based on data obtained through the Lutsk Community Profile and Business Attitude Survey, the committee carried out a SWOT analysis, formulated a strategic vision, and drew up two action plans that address two critical issues.
According to the strategic vision, Lutsk – the “capital of Volyn and a bridge between the East and the West” – will become a “city-technopark of modern automotive industry with developed infrastructure, European governance standards, favorable business climate, and open to investors.”
Accordingly, the two critical issues identified by the Expert Committee were to improve the business climate and to improve the investment climate.