There are ///// bodies in focus of our committee scan today:
Committee on Agrarian and Land Policy
Сommitteemen met with representatives of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Ukraine Hermann Intemann, Volker Sasse, and Andre Pilling to talk over a number of bilateral projects. During the meeting, the parties exchanged views on a wide range of topical issues of bilateral relations in the field of agriculture.
Special attention was paid to important elements of the “German-Ukrainian dialogue”, such as the German-Ukrainian Agrarian Commission and the bilateral programme of cooperation between public authorities of the two countries.
During the meeting, there were also identified main vectors of further cooperation in the field of agriculture, in particular, in the areas of organic farming, exchange of information, adaptation of state/public agro-agencies, holding agrarian exhibitions, implementation of scientific, research and technical programmes, trainings of skilled specialists enabling embracing latest technologies in the agro-industrial complex.
Committee on Social Policy and Protection of Veterans’ Rights
Committee members met with UN representatives in Ukraine.
On October 8, 2019, the committeemen met with representatives of the United Nations, who presented information on the UN activities in Ukraine. There are sixteen UN bodies in Ukraine dealing with social, economic, humanitarian aid, gender equality, human rights, reintegration and social resilience of veterans, and other issues.
The UN collaborates with governments and parliaments of various countries, providing assistance and advice in lawmaking. The bill on humanitarian aid in crisis situations is plain evidence to this.
Ukraine has also broad prospects for cooperation with the International Labour Organization (ILO), which should be used in social reforming.
The committee chairperson thanked for the assistance the United Nations had provided to Ukraine, and expressed her hope for a wider cooperation with other UN organizations, including the ILO.
The meeting was also attended by other UN representatives who presented activities of some special organizations within the UN system in Ukraine, in particular:
Serhii Savchuk – the National ILO coordinator in Ukraine,
Anna Rich - UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),
Artur Aivazov - Head of UNICEF Ukraine's Department of Social Policy,
Vitalii Stetsyk – tech expert, WHO Bureau in Ukraine,
Halyna Meshcheriakova – programme coordinator, UN Women,
Olha Liuta – management enhancement expert, International Organization for Migration Ukraine.
Anna Rich informed that since 1994 the UN Refugee Agency in Ukraine was involved in protecting and supporting refugees, facilitating their local integration, voluntary returning to their homeland or resettling to third countries, and providing legal, financial and other types of assistance.
The agency cooperates with the government and local authorities in areas adjacent to the demarcation (front) line between the temporarily occupied (and thus uncontrolled) and government-controlled territories of Ukraine, etc.
Halyna Tretiakova, the Chairperson of the Committee on Social Policy and Protection of Veterans’ Rights, informed that the committee does cooperate with the Committee on Human Rights, Deoccupation and Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories in Donetsk, Luhansk Regions and Autonomous Republic of Crimea, National Minorities and Interethnic Relations, and is willing to consider proposals to the law of Ukraine on humanitarian assistance, if any.
In his speech, Artur Aivazov noted that there is a rather liberal social security system in Ukraine, but there are still no data to assess how effective the benefits are. For its part, the UNICEF Office in Ukraine is ready to assist in assessing their efficacy.
As a result of the meeting, the parties agreed on a closer cooperation to improve the system of social protection and labour relations.
Committee on Environmental Policy and Nature Management
The committee met at a roundtable themed "Reforming Environmental Management and Defining Research Development Areas".
The event was attended by MPs and a widely represented academia.
The participants discussed the progress of reforms in the environmental management sphere and the development of Ukraine’s scientific research area, both of which are crucial for further upbuilding a modern management model in the field of protection, use and reproduction of wildlife.
In their speeches, participants of the roundtable pointed out that presently there is a transition period from an administrative-territorial scheme to a river basin principle of water resources management, thus and so the management of aquatic bio-resources should also be integrated.
Heads of scientific institutions expressed their willingness to immediately participate in creating the concept for reforming environmental management and forming needful criteria for aquatic bio-resources safety.
The сommittee сhairperson thanked all participants of the roundtable for their contribution, encouraged to submit their topical proposals and stated that the next meeting would be held with the participation of representatives of the Committee on Agrarian and Land Policy, the Ministry of Energy and Environmental Protection of Ukraine, and the Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture of Ukraine.
Committee on Law Enforcement
On October 7, members of the committee held a meeting with the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Arsen Avakov, his deputies and heads of central government/executive bodies belonging to the Internal Affairs Ministry system.
During the meeting, there were discussed main tasks and directions of activities of the ministerial bodies, as well as their further development projects and budgetary proposals for 2020.
Arsen Avakov informed MPs about prospects in developing overall security of the unified aviation system, maritime boundaries, as well as providing housing for the employees.
The conferees, together with the interior minister, discussed further steps in reforming the ministry and implementing legislative initiatives aimed at supporting this process.
Committee on National Security, Defence and Intelligence
On October 9, the committee, in harness with the Independent Defence Anti-Corruption Committee (aka NAKO) and the Ukrainian Institute for the Future, held a round table on reforms in the system of planning and forming a government defence order, purchasing defence-purpose products and services.
The event was attended by members of parliament-committeemen, representatives of the President’s Office, the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, the Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture of Ukraine, the National Secutiry and Defence Council of Ukraine, the Accounting Chamber, SC “Ukroboronprom”, amalgamations and associations of defence-related businesses, international and non-governmental organizations, experts and academia.
The deputy chairman of the committee noted that the committee is out to launch an array of roundtables in cooperation with civil society organizations to discuss new legislation pertaining to reforming Ukraine’s defence industry complex.
During the meeting, there was presented a survey “Reforms in the State Defenсe Order System”. The presentation was made by Director-General of the Independent Defenсe Anti-Corruption Committee (NAKO) Olena Trehub. In her presentation, the speaker highlighted the topic-related corruption risks and provided recommendations for their elimination.
‘Procurements’ was named to be the weakest rung in the state defence order system. According to her, the purchases have only 25% of the integrity index against the global index. More than 90% of public defence procurements are classified. Since 2018, around 60-65% of such purchases are made by private companies, while the rest - by state-owned enterprises.
One of the experts of note did point out the need to simplify the procedure for concluding governmental weapon purchase contracts for the army and security forces’ needs.
The representative of the Presiden’s Office Ivan Aparshyn stressed that the state defence order reform began in 1996 - and nowadays it still suffers the same problems as twenty years ago.
During the roundtable, there was also presented the working group’s groundwork on re-drafting the Law of Ukraine "On state defence order", elaborated by SC "Ukroboronprom".
Representatives of public organizations and defence-oriented enterprises also submitted their proposals and recommendations for the new draft law on state defence order procurements.
Committee on Law Enforcement
The committee recommends that the Vekrhovna Rada take on the first reading the draft law on introduction of a unified register of persons convicted for committing crimes against sexual freedom and sexual integrity of minors and strengthening liability for such offences. The decision was made at the 9 October sitting of the committee.
The committee also recommended the parliament to adopt on the second reading and in tote the draft bill No.0887 “On amendments to certain laws of Ukraine (regarding introduction of a unified register of persons convicted for committing crimes against sexual freedom and sexual integrity of minors and strengthening liability for such offences)”.
They also considered the draft law No.2116 (including the bill No.2116-1 as the alternate) “On amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On the State Bureau of Investigations” regarding improving its performance” and recommended the parliament to take it on the first reading.
Afterwards, the committeemen reviewed the draft bill No.2148 “On amendments to certain legislative acts of Ukraine on ensuring voting in person by Ukrainian parliamentarians”.
The draft law No.2164 [NGM1] “On amendments to the Criminal Code of Ukraine for refining certain provisions hereto due to prosecution of a special prejudicial inquiry” was seen into on the first reading and recommended to be taken as basis.