There took place a final press conference given by the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Andriy Parubiy aiming to take stock of what had been accomplished by the Parliament during the whole eighth plenary session.
A brief 8th session performance outline was brought to the audience’s attention by the Chairman at the very off.
National security
The Speaker stressed the crucial importance of the approved key defence law "On National Security of Ukraine", in as much as the law was to bring Ukraine much closer to NATO. He recalled that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine had determined NATO to be a key goal of Ukraine’s foreign policy.
“In repulsing the ongoing Russia’s hybrid offensive, the defence and security issues are regarded to be of critical significance to the Parliament,” stated the official.
Staffing issues
Another pressing question well settled by the Parliament was reported to be staff matters the Accounting Chamber of Ukraine, the Ombudsman office, the National Bank of Ukraine, and the Central Election Commission (CEC) had faced. CEC remained to be the only issue pending to date, seemingly settleable in the autumn round.
Anti-graft court
A one more polar point was designated to be the adoption of the law on anti-corruption court. This landmark stride was taken by 315 ayes, thus finalizing the build-up of the whole anti-graft judicial arm.
The law clearly establishes the court’s jurisdiction, being ‘heavily armed’ as well with all necessary legal and financial tools to ensure its high performance, including a mighty protective shield against any pressure from both home and overseas bodies.
The Venice Commission’s important recommendations were also factored into by the law, including setting a veto by international experts upon unskilled and/or disreputable judges considered to take the bench.
House floor’s yield
It was also pointed out the session had adopted eighty-eight laws, forty-nine of which being of first reading; thirty-seven resolutions had also been approved within the plenary span - all together totaling some 200 positive parliamentary decisions, including critically important laws on diplomatic service, on currency, on intellectual property, on foreign investment climate, etc.
Parliament globally
It was also observed, the Parliament had been very active internationally. Among the global accomplishments therein there were mentioned the creation of the Ukraine-Georgia-Moldova Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, a powerful parliamentary instrument within the Baltic-Black Sea rim countries; the utterly fruitful five-speaker – Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia – high-level visit to Washington ensuring the US Congress’s great support to the East European countries as the protective shield for the whole of Europe against the ongoing Russian aggression.
The above mentioned international cooperation was said to see another turn in the near future.
Reshaping Rada
Among vital local reforms the parliamentary one was mentioned as well, providing for a sure cut in quantity of the committees just down to twenty and follow-up reallocation of seats through the remainder, to be also accompanied with introducing a compulsory e-ID card for members of parliament. The said changes are thought to be triggered off next year.
"It has been an uphill season and it has been a difficult spring. Many said that the Ukrainian parliament would not work in the run-up to election year and presidential hustings. It was not easy to hold discussions in the hall. But our responsibility has helped to make those decisions," said A.Parubiy.
Local church
The Speaker also touched upon the creation of a unified Orthodox local church, which is one of the fundamental issues of Ukraine’s state development.
"A unified Orthodox autocephalous church is regarded to be an unshakeable foundation for stopping any attempt by Russia to pit Ukrainians against each other on any basis, but religiously to a greater extent," said Andriy Parubiy.
He pointed out that the discussion which had started in the Parliament, then assumed a countrywide significance after the meeting with the Ecumenical Patriarch.
"And it has also attained a wide support from Constantinople, where I actually had lots of conversations," said the Chairman of the Parliament. “We are placing certain positive expectations upon the Holy Synod’s decision on the matter. It might be of non-decisive nature, it might be stepwise – as granting a Tomos of Autocephaly is a ladder-shaped process,” clarified Andriy Parubiy.
“It is my strong belief, we shall be fortunate enough to get the good result, with all our efforts, thoughts and prayers. We shall see Ukraine having its own Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church”.
Then, the Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament answered the journalists’ questions.