You're reading: Ukrainian president adjusts secretariat structure

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has endorsed a new structure of his secretariat.

In particular, the number of presidential secretariat employees has been increased by 25 people to 549, and its structure has been optimized, the presidential Web site reported on Wednesday.

In particular, the offices of presidential advisors heading some departments have been liquidated, and the departments themselves will now report directly to deputy presidential chiefs of staff.

The presidential secretariat’s press service has been reorganized into the main department of press service and communications.

The former main department for humanitarian and sociopolitical issues previously led by Hanna Herman has been reorganized into the main department for humanitarian development.

The secretariat’s optimization also includes the establishment of the new department for the president’s representation in courts, the department for law enforcement and justice bodies reform, and the department for sociopolitical affairs.

Presidential chief of staff Serhiy Liovochkin told Interfax-Ukraine earlier that the optimization of the presidential secretariat was aimed at making it better address sociopolitical challenges facing society and the government in Ukraine.

This optimization is also intended to improve the president’s communication with society. Liovochkin assured Interfax-Ukraine that the slight increase in the number of presidential secretariat employees would not call for additional budget appropriations.