You're reading: Ukraine inches toward EU requirements with anti-corruption bill

Ukraine’s parliament on May 14 passed an anti-corruption bill that partially meets the European Union’s requirements for visa-free travel. On the same day, however, pro-government lawmakers struck down additional key legislative requirements, namely provisions to protect citizens including minorities from discrimination, and measures to create an independent anti-corruption agency.

Protection of minorities and
fighting corruption are key
components of the EU’s
visa-free requirements, and conditionally part of
the broader Association Agreement Ukraine is pursuing with the EU. The
27-nation political union has explicitly said the bilateral agreement will be
signed in November at a summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on the condition that
Ukraine “demonstrates determined action and tangible progress in the three
areas (of elections, selective justice, and overall reforms as set out in the
Association Agenda),” the European
Commission reiterated in a May 15 statement
.

The
continued imprisonment of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, and more
recently, seven unresolved parliamentary seats still lingering on after
elections in October, have been a major bone of contention between the two
sides.

President
Viktor Yanukovych’s Party of Regions recently registered a bill in parliament
to set the dates for the seven single-mandate races, but emphasized he won’t
pardon Tymoshenko until two pending trials conclude, despite recently issuing
presidential decrees that freed two high-ranking officials from her former
government, including ex-top cop Yuri Lutsenko.

Submitted
by parliament’s three opposition factions of Batkivshchyna (Fatherland), UDAR
(punch), and Svoboda (Freedom), the adopted bill foresees the creation of a
single register of individuals convicted of corruption to be made accessible on
the justice ministry’s website. It also makes it compulsory for public servants
of all ranks and levels – from village council members to the president – and
their family members to declare their income and expenses.

If
Yanukovych signs the bill in 15 days, it will go into force on Jan. 1,
2014.

In
addition, the bill applies to family members who are dependants: parents and
step-parents, spouses, including those in common law unions, children, great
grandparents and grandparents, step-children, adopted children, grandchildren
and other dependants of public servants.

One-time
purchases worth Hr 80,000 ($10,000) or more also must be declared.

The bill
moreover applies to secretaries and clerks of public servants. And the
declarations must be made accessible on the website of the corresponding
government agency or body where the public servant is employed.

An
explanatory note to the bill furthermore says there are provisions to protect
whistleblowers of corrupt acts and make it compulsory for public servants to
disclose their place of residence if it differs from their officially
registered address. 

Separately,
parliament rejected a bill of constitutional amendments on May 14 to strip
lawmakers of prosecutorial immunity. It instead voted for a resolution that
proposes to send the bill back for revision.

Kyiv Post editor Mark Rachkevych can be reached
at [email protected].