Committees round-up: Daily

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

Committee on Agrarian and Land Policy

At its 24 April sitting, the committee saw into and then gave its recommendations that the Verkhovna Rada should take the draft bill No.3205 “On the Partial guarantee fund for agricultural loans” on its first reading. The bill aims to support micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through the provision of (partial) credit guarantees that mitigate the risk of non-repayment of agro-loans and creating cleared conditions for a sound functioning of the land market and Ukraine’s agricultural industry. The bill provides Ukrainians with the opportunity to freely dispose of their property and obtain the fair value through lifting the farmlands circulation moratorium. To achieve these aims, the bill suggests setting up the agricultural credit partial guarantee fund as soon as possible.

MPs also reviewed the bill No.3295 “On amendments to the Law of Ukraine ‘On state support to Ukraine’s agricultural industry’ and other laws of Ukraine regarding the functioning of the State Agrarian Register and improving the state support to commercial growers”. The purpose of the draft law is to improve the functioning of the system of state support for agriculture, eliminate administrative obstacles and costs for agricultural producers in obtaining state aid.

The сommittee decided to recommend that the Verkhovna Rada include the bill in the agenda of the third session of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of the ninth convocation.

The committee then started reviewing the second reading of the draft bill No.2280 “On amendments to the Land Code of Ukraine and other legislative acts of Ukraine regarding the land-use planning”. The draft law proposes to regulate community boundary issues; integrated spatial planning of community territories and standardization of issues related to approval of the associated documentation; standards of formation of digital cartographic basis for territory planning; ensuring an end-to-end link between socio-economic development programmes and spatial planning documentation, and creating a transparent mechanism for addressing public and private interests by means of transparent public discussions.

The draft law provides for making appropriate alterations to the Land Code of Ukraine, the Water Code of Ukraine, the Laws of Ukraine “On land management”, “On regulation of urban planning activity” and “On the State Land Cadastre”.

Committee on National Security, Defence and Intelligence

At its 24 April regular sitting, the body revisited the committee approval of key figures of the state defence order for 2020-2022. Following the discussion, the committeemen made applicable decisions.

Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy

At its 24 April sitting, the committee took up the bill No.3377 “On amendments to certain legislative acts of Ukraine regarding the state support to culture, creative industries, tourism, small and medium-sized businesses in connection with restrictions caused by the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19)”. The law aims to update and improve legal relations in many areas of activity that suffer sudden changes sparked off by the COVID-19 spread.

Following the discussion, the committee has endorsed a resolution to recommend that the parliament should include the bill in the VRU’s agenda and take it on both readings with some marginal changes touching getting royalties.

With one accord the committeemen also backed the bills Nos.3378, 3379 that provide for amendments to the tax and budget codes as well as other laws of Ukraine regarding the state support to culture, creative industries, tourism, small and medium-sized businesses in connection with restrictions caused by the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Committee on Public Health, Medical Assistance and Medical Insurance

At its 23 April sitting, the committee examined the bill No.3380 “On amendments to some laws of Ukraine purposed to increase the capability of Ukraine’s healthcare system to counteract the COVID-19 spread” and advised that the parliament take the bill on its both readings. The bill is drafted to alter the entire body of Ukraine’s healthcare legislation, launching a whole set of additional interim measures of social protection (and other organizational arrangements) for medical workers and those involved in battling with the COVID-19 spread for the period covering the set quarantine term plus two months to boot. The bill also commissions the health ministry to develop and/or update relevant procedures and regulations aimed at streamlining the nationwide fight against the COVID-19 spread in Ukraine.

MPs also considered the European Business Association's request to support its proposal to ensure Ukraine's participation in the World Health Organization's global clinical trials “Solidarity” aimed to help find an effective treatment for COVID-19. Committeemen decided to contact the Ministry of Health, which is in charge of such issues.

Committee on Environmental Policy and Nature Management

At its 23 April sitting, the committee discussed the bill No.3330 - a draft resolution touching the Cabinet of Ministers’ action plan. Following the debate, there was decided to take note of the resolution.

In the second place, parliamentarians considered the need of getting the environmental protection and exclusion zone management expenditures back to the state budget, as Ukraine is on the list of countries with the world’s worst ecology. The level of industrial impact upon Ukraine’s environment is quite high, exceeding the similar indicator of developed countries 4-5 times. Given that environmental degradation and depletion of natural resources both lead to irreversible consequences it is important to apply all possible mechanisms for financing environmental measures.

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted on April 13 the Law of Ukraine "On amendments to the Law of Ukraine ‘On the state budget of Ukraine for 2020’" (No.553-IX of April 13, 2020).

Having considered the draft bill No.3014 about electronic communications, members of the committee agreed to recommend that the Committee on Digital Transformation submit a proposal for the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to adopt the bill on its first reading. This bill aims to shape the legal basis for activities in the field of electronic communications and radio frequency spectrum, creating favourable conditions for free entry into the electronic communications market, eliminating barriers in being.

MPs also gave their comments to the draft bill No.3183 on a free economic zone and special investment procedure in the Kherson oblast (region) and recommended that the Committee on Economic Development take them into account in its further consideration.

Committee on Anti-Corruption Policy

At its 23 April sitting, the committee viewed two bills drafted to regulate activities of the Asset Recovery and Management Agency (aka ARMA).

The meeting was attended by 15 members of the сommittee, as well as lawgivers - authors of the bills, Ukraine’s justice minister Denys Maliuska, representatives of the National Agency for finding, tracing and management of assets derived from corruption and other crimes (abbr. - Asset Recovery and Management Agency or ARMA), experts.

The committee worked through the draft bill No.3299 "On amendments to the Law of Ukraine ‘On the High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine’ in connection with the adoption of the Law of Ukraine ‘On amendments to certain legislative acts of Ukraine as concerns the simplification of pre-trial investigation for certain categories of criminal offenses’". The committee decided to recommend that the Verkhovna Rada adopt the bill No.3299 on its both readings.

MPs also studied the draft bill No.3304 “On amendments to the Law of Ukraine 'On the National Agency for finding, tracing and management of assets derived from corruption and other crimes'” (ARMA). The bill aims to regulate activities of ARMA related to returning overseas assets. The proposed articles will help initiate the return of assets under a civil process, as well as to involve the so-called investment court funds in protecting Ukraine’s interests in court. The committee decided to recommend that the Verkhovna Rada adopt the bill No.3304 on its both readings.

The draft laws Nos.2372, 2809, 3205, 3205-1, and 3364 were found to comply (with some marginal reservations) with requirements of Ukraine’s anti-corruption legislation.

The сommittee also saw into the bill No.2730 "On amendments to certain laws of Ukraine as to the competition-antitrust reform" together with its alternate 2730-1. The сommittee recognized the draft law No.2730 as corruption risks-bearing one through its certain norms. At the same time, the body sees it to be quite important and capable of being accepted after removing shortcomings.

In addition, the anticorruption сommittee decided to apply to the Accounting Chamber with the request to make available approvals of audit reports and the reports per se, which contain information about violations of law committed during the use of budgetary funds and state property.