The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is improving the planning of its legislative work
On May 27, 2020, there took place an ample discussion on major approaches to planning and monitoring the Verkhovna Rada’s legislative work, as the planning itself is all in all a key factor in improving the efficiency of the Ukrainian parliament.
According to the First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk, the first changes made by the Verkhovna Rada of the IX convocation to the Rules of Procedure concerned exactly the issues of planning the Verkhovna Rada’s legislative work.
The Chief of Staff of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Viacheslav Shtuchnyi expressed his thanks to partners of the EU-UNDP Parliamentary Reform Project, the Parliamentary Reform Office (PRO), the leadership of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, MPs, the staff of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Secretariat and all those involved for the effective communication and cooperation.
Olena Bazylivska, an expert of the Parliamentary Reform Office, presented her vision of the process of planning and monitoring legislative work and outlined the successful international experience. In particular, she spoke about the requisite components of effective legislative-activity planning, the importance of establishing closer cooperation between the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, and then she put forth her proposals regarding the needful amendments to Ukraine’s laws in force aimed to improve the planning process.
They also talked about the need to develop and implement IT tools designed to monitor the implementation of legislative work, that would excel through its user-friendly interface.
Following the discussion, the first vice speaker recommended that the relevant committees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine together with the Verkhovna Rada’s Main Legal Department and the Parliamentary Reform Office develop a draft procedure for framing and monitoring the legislative work plan and, if necessary, proposals for amendments to the Verkhovna Rada’s rules of procedure concerning improving the planning process.
In addition, Ruslan Stefanchuk recommended organizing the Secretariat’s work so that to streamline the development of requirements, vision of the above IT tools and monitoring the legislative process at its every stage.
The expert discussions were organized by the Parliamentary Reform Office, which is a key component of the EU-UNDP Parliamentary Reform Project. The discussion was also joined by MPs of Ukraine, representatives of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, the United Nations Development Programme and the Parliamentary Reform Office.