05 November 2013, 18:14
PLENARY MEETINGS OF THE THIRD SESSION OF THE VERKHOVNA RADA OF UKRAINE OF THE SEVENTH CONVOCATION WERE HELD ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5
At the beginning of the morning session authorized representatives of authorized factions took the floor with statements, announcements and proposals.
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Volodymyr Rybak suggested approve the agenda of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for November 5-8, 2013.
Voting was not productive (194 votes “for”).
Representatives of factions that did not participate in voting explained that the agenda was not adjusted with faction leaders. They noted that there no bills they suggested for consideration, i.e. the bill on the prosecutor’s office and the bills referred by opposing and non-affiliated people’s deputies regarding the possibility of treatment of convicted persons abroad.
Volodymyr Rybak brought for consideration the bills registered under No 2934 and 2934-1, pertaining to conditions of pension insurance for the citizens of Ukraine. The Chairman reminded that these bills were scrutinized during the plenary meeting on October 25, however, the decision on them was not taken.
Representatives of opposing factions called on to adopt these bills.
Representative of the Party of Regions Yaroslav Sukhyi stressed that both bills are populist.
Adoption of the bills was supported by the representatives of the Communist Party of Ukraine.
Following the results of voting, the bills lacked necessary number of votes to be adopted and, thus, were rejected. The faction of the Party of Regions did not participate in voting.
The Chairman announced the draft law on the prosecutor’s office for consideration in the second reading. Chairman of the Committee on Legislative Support of Law Enforcement Andrii Kozhemiakin refused to report on the bill since, according to him, the Presiding at the meeting violated the Rules of Procedure. He claimed that the Batkivshchyna faction has insisted and still insists on approval of the meetings’ agenda.
Presiding at the meeting informed that the Committee on Legislative Support of Law Enforcement proposed to withdraw consideration of this bill.
Before taking the decision on this issue, a break was announced.
After the break, Volodymyr Rybak informed about the meeting of the Conciliatory Council during which the decision was taken to adopt the bill on the prosecutor’s office, registered under No. 0886; and to scrutinize the four bills on treatment of convicted persons abroad on Thursday.
Chairman of the Committee on Legislative Support of Law Enforcement Andrii Kozhemiakin reported on the bill on the prosecutor’s office, registered under No. 0886. He reminded that attempts to reform the prosecutor’s office were taken also earlier. For instance during the third, fourth and fifth convocations of the Parliament. However, all these bills, following the opinion of European experts, were recognized as not intending to reform the existing system of the prosecutor’s office.
Committee Chair noted that in the result of committee hearings entitled “The place and role of the prosecutor’s office in the system of state power of Ukraine”, committee members adjusted the bill registered under No. 2491. This bill considered the opinion of the Venice Commission and previous analogous bills and was adopted in the first reading as a basis in April 2009.
According to the rapporteur, during the period of 2008-2012, the Committee has worked on the bill by holding round table discussions and workshop conferences.
According to A.Kozhemiakin, the bill, elaborated by the working group of the President of Ukraine, was referred to the Venice Commission. Apart form this, in 2012, the Venice Commission gave its positive opinion on the bill registered under No. 667 in regard to the Law “On the Prosecutors’ Office”, elaborated by the Commission. This bill is the basic one.
“That is why the Committee took the decision to recommend the Verkhovna Rada withdraw form consideration the draft law registered under No. 0886 and consider its provisions when refining other bills,” informed the Committee Chair.
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the resolution on withdrawal of the bill on the prosecutor’s office, registered under No. 0086, by 322 votes.
The people’s deputies scrutinized several draft resolutions on election and dismissal of judges and took the respective decisions.
Chairman of the Budgetary Committee Yevhenii Heller reported on the prepared for the second reading draft law on amendments to the Budget Code of Ukraine (re re money means received from using (implementing) the state part of actual production, under the production sharing agreements).
The bill was adopted in entirety as a law by 326 votes.
Parliament members have repeatedly considered in the first reading the draft law on amendments to several legislative acts of Ukraine re the activity of Agrarian Fund. The refined bill was reported by the Chairman of the Committee on Agrarian Policy and Land Relations Hryhorii Kalietnik.
People’s deputies doubted whether it is expedient to adopt the bill and expressed remarks to some of its provisions.
Following the results of discussion, the bill was rejected.
Chairman of the Committee on Agrarian Policy and Land Relations Hryhorii Kalietnik reported also on the draft law on amendments to the Law “On State Land Cadastre” re canceling fees for entering and amending data of the State Land Cadastre.
People’s deputies upheld the bill in the first reading by 331 votes.
The First Deputy Chairman of the State Highway Agency Mykhailo Zvarych
reported on the draft law on amendments
to several legislative acts of Ukraine
re strengthening safety control of road freight transportation and
responsibility for road traffic offences.
The rapporteur said that the laws of Ukraine do not regulate automatic weighing without person’s participation which creates prerequisites for corruption. The aim of the bill is to preserve the state of roads by harsher punishments for transport vehicles overload. The bill also stipulates regulate responsibility for transport carriers’ high capacity, oversize and dangerous cargo.
The document stipulates exercise control over weight and size parameters of transport vehicles with automatic fixing of the results by special technical tools without stopping the vehicle.
The bill was adopted by 245 votes.
The Chairman adjourned the morning meeting.
At the evening meeting the people’s deputies continued to consider agenda items.
The Deputy Minister on Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine Serhii Chekh reported on the draft law on amendments to clause 9 of section II “Transitional Provisions” of the Law “On amendments to several legislative acts of Ukraine” (regarding energy exports to of the Energy Community member-states). He noted that the main aim of the bill is harmonizing Ukraine’s legislation with the legislation of the EU, including fulfillment of the requirements stipulated by the Protocol on Ukraine's accession to the Treaty establishing the Energy Community.
The First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Fuel and Energy Complex, Nuclear Policy and Nuclear Safety Oleh Zarubinskyi reported on the Committee’s decision to recommend that the Verkhovna Rada should adopt the bill as a basis.
The people’s deputies adopted the bill in the first hearing by 340 votes.
The Deputy Minister on Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine Serhii Chekh informed about another bill – on amendments to article 17 of the Law “On Heat Supply” (re licensing heat energy production activity). According to him, the bill aims at improving the procedure of licensing heat energy production and determining powers of governmental bodies regarding licensing the production, transportation and supply of heat energy. Under the document, licensing of activity in the sphere of heat supply is set to be the authority of the national commission that exercises state regulation in this sphere if heat energy is produced on the heat power plant or nuclear power plants.
The Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Fuel and Energy Complex, Nuclear Policy and Nuclear Safety Oleksandr Myrnyi informed that the Committee recommends that the Parliament should adopt the bill as a basis and in entirety.
The Verkhovna Rada adopted the bill with 280 votes.
The people’s deputies considered and adopted as a basis the draft law on amendments to the Mining Law re provision with coal and peat briquettes.
The Minister of Defence of Ukraine Pavlo Lebedev informed about the draft law on amendments to article 6 of the Law “On the Procedure of Departure from Ukraine and Arrival to Ukraine for the citizens of Ukraine” (re receiving a passport by service age citizens). According to him, adoption of the bill will allow to simplify the procedure of receiving a passport of a citizen of Ukraine for departure abroad.
The Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs Yurii Miroshnychenko informed about the Committee’s decision to recommend that the Parliament should adopt the bill as a basis and in entirety.
The bill was adopted as a basis and in entirety by 331 votes.
The Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine Anatolii Maksiuta reported on the draft law on amendments to article 6 of the Law “State Defence Order” (re relations in the sphere of planning and forming defence order).
According to him, in order to use and develop scientific and industrial potential of defence sectors of industry enterprises, it is necessary to regulate relations in the sphere of planning and forming defence order through approving proposals between the state clients and the authorized economic agent on state property management in the military-industrial complex.
The First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on National Security and Defence Viktor Razvadovskyi informed about the Committee’s decision to recommend that the Verkhovna Rada should adopt the bill as a basis and in entirety.
During the discussion, the representatives of opposition factions voiced remarks to the bill.
Following the results of the discussion, the bill was rejected (217 votes for).
The people’s deputies considered the issue of ratification.
The Verkhovna Rada ratified: the Agreement between Ukraine and the Republic of India on Mutual Legal Assistance in Civil and Commercial Matters; the Agreement between the Cabinet of Ministers and the Government of the Italian Republic on Merchant Shipping; the Agreement between the Government of Ukraine and the Government of the Republic of India on Scientific and Technological Cooperation.
The parliamentarians considered and adopted in entirety the draft resolutions on Recommendations to parliamentary hearings on matters of children and youth recreation and rehabilitation and on Recommendations of the parliamentary hearings entitled: “Ukrainian labour migration: state, problems and solutions.”
The draft resolutions on Recommendations of the parliamentary hearings entitled “Current status, ways and prospects of reforms in the sphere of health care in Ukraine” and “On State of Human Rights Observance in Ukraine” were adopted as a basis.
The Chairman adjourned the evening meeting.
The next plenary meeting of the third session will be held on Wednesday, November 6.