The Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Dmytro Razumkov opened Friday’s plenary session.

 

The morning section

 

The Chairman gave the floor to representatives of the parliamentary factions and groups to make their announcements, statements, reports and proposals.

Dmytro Razumkov informed that the Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksii Honcharuk and members of the Cabinet of Ministers are taking part in the plenary session. The ministers are expected to field questions about settling the conflict in eastern Ukraine in the context of the Normandy format meeting of December 9, 2019. The presiding officer gave then the floor to Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister Vasyl Bodnar.

The questions hour started.

The official informed about the results of the December 9 Normandy summit in Paris. He noted that the summit had again testified Ukraine’s commitment to a peaceful settlement of the conflict in the Donbas. It is about restarting the separation of forces and harmonizing the Steinmeier formula's wording.

Participants of the meeting reaffirmed the priority of the security dimension of the Minsk agreements.  At present, Ukraine's main task is to force the Kremlin to implement the agreements reached in Paris. The deputy minister noted that Ukraine, for its part, has already started fulfilling its half of the agreements.

The official then fielded questions from the floor on agreements signed during the Paris summit, the ministry’s action plan towards implementing the Normandy format accords, withdrawal of forces in failure to keep a ceasefire engagement, bringing in OSCE peace-keeping forces, Steinmeier formula's wording and its introduction in Ukrainian law, gas transit negotiations and cutting gas prices for Ukrainians, releasing hostages, monitoring and tackling environmental challenges throughout the temporarily occupied territories of the Donbas, compensation for Donbas seizure-induced damage, keeping an arms-use respite regime alongside of the contact line, expanding international negotiations formats aimed to bring peace to the Donbas, actions to be taken in virtue of the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances, resumption of rail traffic with the occupied territories, information policy towards the temporarily occupied territories, the ministry’s strategy aimed at counteracting the Russian aggression, the Minsk format’s alternates, etc.

The presiding officer gave then the floor to Ukraine’s finance minister Oksana Markarova. The minister informed those present about the results of the fiscal year, in particular, on reasons for the shortfall of the state budget.

Finally, the presiding officer gave the floor to Ukraine’s prime minister Oleksii Honcharuk. The head of government dwelt upon the reasons to have affected the 2019 state budget execution, the gas negotiations in progress and the clearing off wage arrears to colliers and educationalists.

‘Ask the Government’ hour ended at this point.

 

Parliamentarians then proceeded with the business of the day.

 

  • Laws, bills and resolutions passed

 

On anatomic material in humans

--Draft bill No.2457

By 320 ayes, the parliament carried the bill No.2457 “On amendments to certain legislative acts of Ukraine that regulate the sphere of grafting anatomic material in humans” in whole.

 

On Ukrainian Foundation for Entrepreneurship Supporting

--Draft bill No.2589

By 275 ayes, the Verkhovna Rada took the bill No.2589 “On amendments to the Law of Ukraine ‘On the state budget of Ukraine for 2020’ regarding the Ukrainian Foundation for Entrepreneurship Supporting” on the first reading.

 

On a new committeeman

--Draft resolution No.2627

By taking the resolution, MPs have sanctioned electing MP Serhii Mandzii (The PP ‘Servant of the People’ faction) to be a member of the VRU 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. The paper was backed by 292 parliamentarians.

 

On immediate measures in health care sector

--Draft bill No.2428

On the second reading there was taken the bill No.2428 “On amendments to certain legislative acts of Ukraine regarding immediate measures in the sphere of health care”. The act was backed by 297 assenting votes.

 

On reloading of power

--Draft bill No.2572

277 MPs have approved the bill No.2572 “On amendments to Chapter II ‘Final and Transitional Provisions’ of the Law of Ukraine ‘On amendments to certain laws of Ukraine regarding reloading of power’ (concerning rates of official salaries and other components of emoluments, remuneration to law enforcers and employees of other public authorities)” on the second reading. 

 

On electronic form of legislative proceedings

--Draft bill No.2492

259 parliamentarians have endorsed the bill No.2492 “On amendments to the Verkhovna Rada’s rules of procedure regarding improving an electronic form of legislative proceedings”.

 

On eCabinet and ease for sole traders

--Draft bill No.2524

By 299 ayes, the parliament carried the bill amending Ukraine’s tax code to the extent of functioning eCabinets (electronic accounts) and simplifying the work of self-employed entrepreneurs. The bill was taken on the first reading.

 

VRU’s resolutions

The parliament adopted the following resolutions:

Resolution No.2557 “On approval of the membership and head of the National Commission of Radiation Protection of Population of Ukraine”.

Resolution No.2391 “On changes in the composition of the Verkhovna Rada’s temporary investigating commission to probe 2014-2018 conflagrations (detonations) at ammunition depots in Ichnia (the Chernihiv oblast), Kalynivka (the Vinnytsia oblast), Balakliia (the Kharkiv oblast), Svatove (the Luhansk oblast), Kryvyi Rih (the Dnipropetrovsk oblast)”.

Resolution No.2163 “On establishment of the Verkhovna Rada’s temporary investigating commission to probe the Agreement between the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine and the Ad Hoc Creditors’ Committee on restructuring the foreign debt in 2015”.

 

On combatant status for navy and sky force

--Draft bill No.1197

On the second reading there was adopted by the parliament the bill amending Article 6 of the Law of Ukraine ‘On the status of war veterans and guarantees of their social protection’ (regarding securing the right of servicemen of the Ukrainian Navy and the Ukrainian Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to obtain the combatant status)”.

 

On greater social protection for persons with war-caused disabilities

--Draft bill No.1198

On the second reading there was adopted by the parliament the bill amending Article 13 of the Law of Ukraine “On the status of war veterans and guarantees of their social protection” regarding greater social protection for certain categories of persons with war-caused disabilities.

 

No red tape and venality in health care sector

--Draft bill No.2429

The bill No.2429 “On amendments to certain legislative acts of Ukraine on the elimination of farfetched bureaucratic barriers and corruption-generating factors in the healthcare sector” was backed by 259 ayes on the first reading.

 

The presiding officer closed the meeting.

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