The morning plenary meeting concluded. A.Parubiy, the Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, opened the session. The MPs shifted to their announcements and statements – then to the agenda.

Opening the Parliament’s morning plenary session, Andriy Parubiy, the Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine informed the audience of the today’s agenda. First comes the Constitutional Court of Ukraine issue, then goes the planned schedule for the 7^th session of the Parliament, and after that is to stand a working plan for the ongoing 6^th session of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. The budget, the pension reform and cybersecurity will also be discussed.

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine must today by all means consider the issue of giving consent to prosecute against M.Dobkin, MP.

By accepting the draft bill No.6631 the Parliament has approved the planned schedule for the 7^th session. It envisions to start the plenary meetings on September 5, 2017 and to end it on February 2, 2018.

The 7^th session time allocations are as follows:

- Parliament’s plenary sessions – ten weeks;

- Work in the committees, commissions, fractions, groups – seven weeks;

- Voter education – five weeks;

- “Ask the Government” hours at the Parliament’s premises – ten hours.

Taken into consideration were the proposals and amendments submitted, and the tentative international exchange plan of the Parliament when approving the schedule.

The Chairperson’s proposal to prolong the 6^th session period until September 5, 2017 was declined by MPs.

The today’s session was proposed to extend until 9 pm.

The law on the Constitutional Court of Ukraine has been adopted.

The draft bill defines the organizational design and activities of the Court, status of the justices, the grounds and the order of taking a legal action, the legal investigation procedure and execution of its sentences.

According to the law, the court constitutes a body of constitutional jurisdiction ensuring supremacy of the Constitution of Ukraine, which also gives consideration over compliance of the Constitution with laws of Ukraine, delivers an official interpretation of the Ukrainian Constitution etc.

The Court’s powers encompass as follows:        

1. Compliance of the Constitution with Ukraine’s legislation (constitutionality), presidential, ministerial and parliamentary acts of Ukraine and the Crimea,

2. Official interpretation of the Ukrainian Constitution,

3. Providing decisions on constitutionality of international agreements currently in force or those tabled to the Parliament once a request to this effect is submitted by the President, the Cabinet or at least by forty five members of the Parliament,

4. Providing decisions on constitutionality of issues subject to an all-Ukrainian referendum at popular approbation once a request to this effect is submitted by the President or at least by forty five members of the Parliament,

5. Providing a decision on constitutionality of an impeachment investigation procedure against the President of Ukraine once a request to this effect is submitted by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine,

6. Providing a decision on constitutionality of a constitution amending bill once a request to this effect is submitted by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine,

7. Providing decisions on breaches of the Ukrainian Constitution and Laws by the Crimean Parliament once a request to this effect is submitted by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine,

8. Providing decisions on constitutionality and legitimacy of the Crimean Parliament’s acts once a request to this effect is submitted by the President of Ukraine,

9. Providing decisions on constitutionality of  Ukrainian laws (or their certain provisions) at a constitutional complaint filed by a person who considers that a Ukrainian law invoked in the final judgement on its proceeding is in conflict with the Constitution of Ukraine.

The law runs the Court’s bench is to be made of eighteen justices of the Constitutional Court.

The President of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the all-Ukrainian judge convention are entitled to appoint six justices each.

The law authorizes the Court to conduct a constitutional proceeding if only its bench has at least twelve justices of the Court, empowered in accordance with the Article 17 of the law.

The law determines range of powers and guarantees of a justice of the Constitutional Court, an organizational design of the Court, features of a legal proceeding on constitutionality of the Ukrainian laws at a constitutional complaint, order of execution of the Court’s judgements and decisions, etc.

The law defines requirements for a Constitutional Court justice, competition rules for Constitutional Court justice nominees, order of appointment of a Constitutional Court justice by the President of Ukraine, by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and by the all-Ukrainian judge convention; status of a Constitutional Court justice and his powers, order of his dismissal, guarantees to a Constitutional Court justice.

The law frames an organizational design of the Constitutional Court according to which there are a Big Chamber, two Senates and six Boards of judges.

Within a first quarter of a year the Court is to promulgate an annual report clarifying its activity and the finances. The Court’s official gazette is “Visnyk Konstytutsiynoho Sudu Ukrainy” (literally, “The Bulletin of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine”).

The law under the adopted draft bill No.6427-d also determines the order of appointment and dismissal of the Ukrainian ombudsman.