At its meeting on 19 March, the Committee on Ukraine's Integration into the EU considered draft law No. 10373 on amendments to the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offences regarding violation of legislation on lobbying. The explanatory note to the draft law states that it was developed to ensure the legal framework for lobbying in Ukraine in accordance with international practices and standards, in particular, regarding mechanisms for controlling lobbying activities. It also proposes to establish administrative liability for lobbying without registration and for violations of lobbying legislation. The Committee concluded that the Draft Law prepared for the second reading does not contradict Ukraine's international legal obligations in the field of European integration.

At the meeting, the Committee members also considered and adopted conclusions on the following draft laws:

The Draft Law on Amendments to the Law of Ukraine No. 10424 "On Scientific and Scientific-Technical Activities" regarding the establishment of target performance indicators for heads of scientific institutions, determination of strategies and promising areas of activity of scientific institutions. According to the initiators, the implementation of the draft law will make it impossible to initiate reorganisation of institutions or change their names in order to avoid the provisions of part three of Article 9 of the Law of Ukraine "On Scientific and Scientific-Technical Activities" regarding the limitation of the management of an institution to two terms. The Committee concluded that the draft law is in line with the objectives of the Association Agreement, but needs to be further developed to comply with the principle of legal certainty.

The Draft Law No. 10273 on amendments to certain laws of Ukraine regarding the functioning of the National Confidential Communication System and the National Electronic Communication Network. The draft law, as stated in the explanatory note, was developed to create a legal framework for the National Confidential Communication System and the National Electronic Communication Network in the context of the use of the latest technologies and to bring it in line with the Law of Ukraine "On Electronic Communications". According to the Committee, the draft law does not contradict the Association Agreement and European Union law.

The Draft Law No. 11041 on Amendments to the Law of Ukraine "On Digital Content and Digital Services". The document aims to regulate the mechanism for applying administrative and economic sanctions to business entities for violating the requirements of the Law of Ukraine "On Digital Content and Digital Services" and the mechanism for administrative appeal of decisions on the application of relevant sanctions. The Committee concluded that the draft law does not contradict the Association Agreement and the provisions of Directive 2019/770.

The Draft Law No. 10282 on Amendments to the Law of Ukraine "On Public Procurement" to improve the medical procurement system. As stated in the justification of the draft law, it proposes amendments to the Law of Ukraine "On Public Procurement" that will: ensure the formation and approval by the Cabinet of Ministers of the list of medicines and medical devices that should be procured exclusively through electronic catalogues; ensure the exclusion of thresholds for the use of electronic catalogues; ensure the regulation of aggregated procurement of goods and the consolidation of the needs of customers when procuring goods through a centralised procurement organisation and/or using electronic catalogues. The Committee concluded that the provisions of the draft law partially comply with international legal obligations in the field of European integration, but need to be substantially revised to fully take into account the requirements of Directive 2014/24/EU.

The Draft Law No. 10141 on Amendments to the Law of Ukraine "On Media" regarding the production and broadcasting of social product. The draft law proposes that audiovisual media entities should annually produce a "social product" at their own expense in the amount of at least 10 units of audiovisual works lasting at least 2 minutes each. They also broadcast each unit of their own "social product" at least twenty-four times. According to the Committee, the draft law is inconsistent with Ukraine's obligations under the Association Agreement and needs to be substantially revised in light of the above comments.

The Draft Law No. 10255 on amendments to the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offences to strengthen liability for the use of public funds by officials managing and receiving funds from the state and local budgets, state and municipal enterprises. The purpose of the draft law, as stated in the explanatory note, is to improve the current norms of the Code of Administrative Offences to prevent administrative offences in the field of public funds. The Committee concluded that the draft law is not inconsistent with the Association Agreement and European Union law, but needs to be improved in terms of compliance with the principle of legal certainty.

The Draft Law No. 10234-1 on Amendments to the Tax Code of Ukraine regarding the development of small business and measures to de-shadow the circulation of goods and services. The draft law proposes indexation of the income limit for individual entrepreneurs of the second and third groups of single tax payers and individual entrepreneurs under the general taxation system who are not VAT payers. According to the Committee, the provisions of the Draft Law do not contradict Ukraine's international legal obligations in the field of European integration.

The Draft Law No. 10459 on Amendments to the Law of Ukraine "On Foreign Economic Activity" to bring its certain provisions in line with the current provisions of the current legislation of Ukraine. The Draft Law proposes amendments to Article 1 of the Law of Ukraine "On Foreign Economic Activity" to bring the definitions of the terms "audit of financial statements", "currency values" and "foreign currency" in line with the current provisions of the current legislation of Ukraine, and Article 22, which excludes references to the Law of Ukraine "On Enterprises in Ukraine", which has ceased to be in force. The Committee concluded that the draft law does not contradict Ukraine's international legal obligations under the Association Agreement, but needs to be revised to take into account the principle of legal certainty and the Committee's comments.

The Draft Law No. 9511 on amendments to the Customs Code of Ukraine regarding certain issues of disposal of goods and vehicles for commercial purposes. The document proposes to authorise the customs authorities to dispose of the property seized by them and subject to a court decision on confiscation; to improve approaches to the procedures for destruction or disposal of property, in particular, to impose the relevant financial burden on the owner/custodian of the property, not the state; to determine the procedure for using the funds received from the sale of such property. According to the Committee, the Draft Law does not contradict Ukraine's international legal obligations and the law of the European Union.

The Draft Law No. 10427-1 "On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine on the Distribution of Cotton Varieties in Ukraine". As stated in the explanatory note, the draft law is designed to create favourable conditions for the circulation of seeds of the best cotton varieties in Ukraine. The Committee concluded that, taking into account the proposals of the Main Committee as stated in its opinion of 18 March 200124, the provisions of the draft law may be applied in accordance with Article 472 "Measures related to essential security interests" of the Association Agreement.