The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Andriy Parubiy opened the moning plenary session.
The chamber gave Ukrainian servicemen a round of applause on the occasion of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Day.
The presiding officer clued up there are national security and defence issues, social protection of servicemen and important ratifications high on the agenda of the ongoing plenary sitting.
The Chairman gave the floor to representatives of the parliamentary factions and groups to make their announcements, statements, reports, and proposals.
After the speeches, the lawmakers proceeded with debates over the business of the day.
Laws, bills and resolutions passed
On foodstuff information
--Draft law No.8450
The parliament carried the law “On food information to
consumers”. The bill lays the legal and organizational groundwork for providing
food information to consumers with the aim to ensure a high level protection of
the health and well-being of citizens, and their social and economic interests.
In particular, the law defines general branch-wise terminology and requirements to the information at issue, obligations of the food market operators, peculiarities of placement, labeling, state control and the like. The bill shall introduce appropriate amendments to a range of fodder- and food products-related laws and regulations.
On status and social protection of war veterans
--Draft law No.8519
By 236 ayes, the VRU passed the draft law “On amendments to the law of Ukraine “On status of war veterans and their social protection guarantees” regarding strengthening social protection of pro-independence activists in XX century”.
The law renders a combatant status to persons who participated in all sorts of hostilities related with the Ukraine independence struggle during the 20th century, and have been recognized to be the combatants according to the law of Ukraine “On legal status and honouring the memory of Ukrainian pro-independence activists in the XX century”.
The combatant status procedure is to be established by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. The law is aimed to redraft item 16 of the article 6 of the law of Ukraine “On status of war veterans and their social protection guarantees” accordingly.
On contiguous zone of Ukraine
--Draft law No.8361
By 244 ayes, there was adopted on the second reading the bill No.8361 containing the law of Ukraine “On contiguous zone of Ukraine”.
The bill institutes the legal status and frames the legal regime of Ukraine’s contiguous zone, as well as the procedure in accordance to which the country is to exercise its rights as a coastal state as per the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982, other international treaties, norms and principles of international law, as well as Ukraine’s constitution and legislation. Delimitation of the zone is to be done according to the international treaties of Ukraine.
The law defines Ukraine’s rights and sets a range of objectives for having control within the zone.
The law generates the remit of an authorized body of Ukraine within the contiguous zone and specifies peculiarities of executing its powers there.
The zone law brings appropriate changes to the laws of Ukraine on protection of Ukraine’s cultural heritage, on state border guard service, and on protection of archaeological heritage of Ukraine.
On mine action in Ukraine
--Draft law No.9080-1
Through 242 affirmative votes the parliament enacted the bill “On mine action in Ukraine”. The bill lays the legal and organizational groundwork for conducting mine action in Ukraine as well as peculiarities of exercising state regulation in this area.
The bill defines
the legal ground, objectives and principles, national interests of Ukraine in the mine action ambit, a list of the mine action objects and entities, the procedure of their creation together with organizational and procedural principles of operation;
requirements to mine action and demining specialists and their responsibilities;
mine action sources of financing;
the registration procedure for mine action operators, rendering assistance to blast victims, framing the status of territories intended for mine action purposes, etc.
The draft law provides for regulations that govern democratic civic control in the field of mine action, the national interests of Ukraine in the field of mine action, the principles of international cooperation and implementation of economic activities in the field of mine action, including liability insurance during mine clearance and public procurement in the field of mine action.
The law also defines the essence of a procurement contract for works and/or services in the field of mine action and establishes liability for violation of the mine action legislation.
On termination of Ukraine-Russia friendship treaty
--Draft law No.0206
The parliament has legislated termination of the treaty by adopting the law of Ukraine “On termination of the Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation, and Partnership between Ukraine and the Russian Federation”.
Given the Russian armed aggression against Ukraine, which does constitute an overt violation of the above treaty, signed on May 31, 1997 in Kyiv and ratified by the parliament on January 14, 1998, and based upon the provisions of the Article 60 of the Vienna Convention on the law of treaties, the Article 24 of the law of Ukraine “On international treaties of Ukraine” and in accordance with the Article 40 of the Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation, and Partnership between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has decreed to terminate the said treaty starting from April 1, 2019.
According to the Article 70 of the Vienna Convention on the law of treaties, the said treaty termination relieves Ukraine of any obligation to implement it and does not affect the rights, the obligations or the legal position of Ukraine arising from the implementation of the treaty prior to its termination.
The presiding officer closed the meeting.