The First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oleksandr Korniienko took part in a public discussion "Strengthening the role of the Parliament in the budget process". On behalf of the leadership of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, he welcomed the holding of such events and stressed their importance, especially in the current circumstances.
"We need to do a lot of work to strengthen the financial control functions of the Parliament, in particular, to modernise them. This is also emphasised by our partners. At the same time, the issue of developing approaches and expanding the tools of the Accounting Chamber is outlined in the Ukraine Facility and in the requirements of our donors," Oleksandr Korniienko said.
He stressed that transparency of the use of public funds is one of the basic conditions for the financial control system in the country. Accordingly, a number of relevant bodies and policies are currently being developed. "This is especially important in the current situation when we are joining the European Union, on the one hand, and on the other hand, half of the state budget is formed at the expense of our partners," added the First Vice Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament.
He expressed his conviction that when there is control from the Government and strong control from the public, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, as the body that approves and shapes the budget and policy, should have one of the leading functions in controlling the budget process, in particular, in terms of compliance of the use with the stated goals and ideas.
In conclusion, Oleksandr Korniienko urged the participants of the public hearings to move towards exploring the possibilities and potential for creating a structure such as a budget office. "Such a structure would provide a deeper, more balanced and strategic approach to planning the budget process in Ukraine," he stressed.