There are ||||| bodies in focus of our committee scan today:

 

  • Committee on Finance, Taxation and Customs Policy

At its 8 May sitting, the committee saw into the bill No.2571-d “On amendments to certain legislative acts of Ukraine regarding the improvement of some mechanisms for the regulation of banking activity”. The discussion was attended by the Minister of Finance of Ukraine Serhii Marchenko, who briefed the audience on the prospects of extending a loan to Ukraine by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in case of adoption of the bill №2571-d. The minister then stressed the IMF had confirmed that non-adoption of this bill would unambiguously entail bringing “any negotiations on any programme financed by the IMF to a halt”. The committee decided to recommend that the Verkhovna Rada take the document on the second reading with some reservations.

The committee viewed the bill No.2166 “On amendments to the Law of Ukraine ‘On collection and accounting of a single contribution to the compulsory state social insurance’ (as to the elimination of discrimination on the payers’ circle). The bill eliminates discriminatory norms from the current Law of Ukraine "On the collection and accounting of a single contribution to the obligatory state social insurance". The committee decided to recommend that the Verkhovna Rada take the bill No.2166 on its second reading.

Members of the committee heard a report delivered by the Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine Yakiv Smolii on the activities of the National Bank of Ukraine in 2019-2020. The statesman then fielded MPs’ questions on various aspects of the NBU's activities. It is planned by May 12 to finalise recommendations to the parliament on the NBU Governor’s report and view the second reading of the draft law No.3329-d (3329-д) “On amendments to the Tax Code of Ukraine and other laws of Ukraine regarding the additional support to taxpayers for the period of preventive measures against the emergence and spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19)”.

 

  • Committee on Law Enforcement

At its 8 May sitting, the committee examined the bill No.3354 “On amendments to the Administrative Offences Code of Ukraine and the Criminal Code of Ukraine as to harsher accountability for failure to comply with legitimate demands of a Ukrainian MP, the Accounting Chamber, a member of the Accounting Chamber”. Through respective amendments to the Criminal Code of Ukraine and the Administrative Offences Code of Ukraine the bill aims to strengthen accountability for obstructing activities of a Ukrainian parliamentarian and a local council deputy (amendments to Article 351 of the Criminal Code) and failure to comply with legitimate demands of a Ukrainian MP, the Accounting Chamber, a member of the Accounting Chamber (amendments to Article 188-19 of the Administrative Offences Code of Ukraine). The committee’s recommendation to the parliament is to take the bill No.3354 on its both reading.

The committee advised the parliament to take the bill No.2669 “On amendments to Article 212-3 of the Administrative Offences Code of Ukraine” on the first reading. This bill toughens responsibility for administrative offenses under this article.

 

  • Committee on Rules of Procedure, Parliamentary Ethics and Administration of Verkhovna Rada’s Work

At its 8 May sitting, the committee studied the following items of agenda:

Bill No.2527 “On amendments to the Law of Ukraine ‘On the status of a Ukrainian parliamentary’ (‘On the status of a people’s deputy of Ukraine’) to the extent of applying an electronic digital signature by Ukrainian parliamentaries”;

Bill No.2586 “On amendments to the Law of Ukraine ‘On committees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine’ as to ensuring the rights of persons with disabilities to participate in social life”;

Bill No.3313 “On amendments to the Rules of Procedure of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine as to streamlining the consideration procedure for second-reading bills”;

Bill No.3313-1 “On amendments to Article 120 of the Rules of Procedure of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine as to streamlining the consideration procedure for second-reading bills”;

Bill No.3157 “On amendments to the Law of Ukraine ‘On the status of a Ukrainian parliamentary’ (with regard to parliamentary appeals)”;

Resolution No.2528 “On the establishment of a Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine temporary committee of enquiry to probe into the unprofitability of coal-industry enterprises”;

Resolution No.2756 “On the establishment of a Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine temporary committee of enquiry to extend parliamentary control over the Pavlo Sheremet murder inquest”;

Resolution No.3434 “On the organization of the work of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine”.

Following the debates, the committee took applicable decisions and approved relevant findings.

 

  • Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into EU 

At its recent sitting, the committee considered a variety of draft legislations through the lens of their EU law and AA (Association Agreement) compliance.

As EU law-AA compliant, there were recognized the following bills:

Bill No.2385 “On amendments to the Law of Ukraine ‘On banks and banking activity’ (with regard to requirements to the amount of authorized fund of a bank) (UAH 200 mn instead of UAH 500 mn presently in force);

Bill No.2458 “On amendments to some laws of Ukraine aimed to settle certain issues of supplying housing and utilities services”;

Bill No.3328 “On amendments to the Law of Ukraine ‘On state property management’ (as concerns the amount of remuneration to members of review boards of state unitary enterprises and companies with a charter capital in which state holds more than 50% of shares”;

Bill No.3179 “On amendments to the Law of Ukraine ‘On state registration of legal entities, individual entrepreneurs and public organizations’ (as to the provision of legal instruments to fight raiding practices and changes to the procedure for giving access to data from the Unified state register of legal entities, individual entrepreneurs and public organizations)”;

Bill No.3305-1 “On amendments to Article 193 of the Tax Code of Ukraine as regards the reduction of prices for socially-sensitive food commodities”;

Bill No.3164 “On amendments to Article 15 of the Law of Ukraine ‘On donation of whole blood and its components’”. The document suggests removing place-of-registration limitations for all donors and allowing whole blood donation by everyone regardless of the place of registration;

Bill No.3318 “On veterinary medicine and animal welfare”. The document is aimed at regulating the sphere of animal health and welfare, quarantine measures, veterinary practice, production, circulation and use of veterinary drugs, public administration, education and science in the field of veterinary medicine. It was noted that the bill still needs updating;

Bill No.3338 “On amendments to certain legislative acts of Ukraine as to enjoining to take up posts in the defence-industrial sector”. It was stressed that the bill still needs updating;

Bill No.3091 (and the bill No.3091-1 as the alternate) – draft laws on Ukraine’s state environmental control;

Bills Nos.2694, 2696 on amendments to UA law as to the use of light-reflecting elements by pedestrians.

As partially compliant was said to be the bill No.3274 that amends the Criminal Code of Ukraine aiming to prevent and check re-trading of emergency goods during quarantines, epidemics, cases of emergency or martial laws. The document suggests establishing criminal liability for reselling goods requisite to prevent spreading of epidemics.

Again, as partially compliant and that in need of updating was said to be the bill No.3274-1 altering UA law in terms of responsibility for pricing abuses committed during national martial law or state of emergency.

 

  • Committee on Agrarian and Land Policy

At its recent sitting, the committee studied the following bills:

Bill No.3398 “On amendments to Section X ‘Transitional and Final Provisions’ of the Law of Ukraine ‘About state control over law compliance on food products, forages, animal by-products, animal health and welfare”. The project aims to ensure effective continuous state monitoring at the border due to restrictions arising from quarantine. Following the discussion, the сommittee decided to recommend that the Verkhovna Rada take both readings of the bill to enact it as law.

During the meeting, it was also decided to uphold the committee's proposals on the use of budget funds for state programmes supporting Ukraine’s agricultural sector in 2020, taking into account all comments and suggestions expressed by committee members.

Members of the committee have also concluded consideration of the second reading draft bill No.2280 that alters Ukraine’s land code and some other laws on land-use planning. There were studied all amendments and proposals (236) submitted against the bill. The work on amendments will be finalized at the next committee sitting.

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