The Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine together with the EU project "Institutional and Political Reform of Small-Scale Agriculture in Ukraine" (IPRSA) has presented the Strategy for the Development of Agriculture and Rural Areas in Ukraine for the period until 2030.
It provides for a clear definition of priorities and the creation of favorable conditions for the development of agriculture and rural areas of Ukraine. The strategy was developed taking into account the need for changes in the agricultural sector, in particular those related to granting Ukraine the status of a candidate for EU accession and other international obligations.
The document contains 7 strategic goals, each of which includes a vision and sub-goals. Their implementation is expected by 2030, namely:
- developing inclusive policy for the development of agriculture and rural areas: institutional capacity;
- guaranteeing public needs for high-quality, nutritious and safe food products: achieving food security;
- ensuring the stability of the agricultural sector: maintaining a stable and fair income of producers, increasing their competitiveness;
- efficient use of land: demining, land reform;
- climate-oriented agriculture: mitigating the consequences of climate change and adapting to them;
- modernizing the agricultural sector: development of processing, innovation, digitization and knowledge exchange;
- creating conditions for the development of rural areas.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has adopted a decision prolonging the validity of the experimental project, which allows SE Dokument to accept applications for processing documents abroad.
This project was implemented by the State Migration Service for the purpose of providing passport document processing services to Ukrainians living abroad. The project was implemented in 2022 and was supposed to end at the end of June 2024.
In view of the social significance of the project to support our citizens abroad, by the decision of the Government, the work of SE Dokument has been extended for another 6 months.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has introduced the Reform Matrix – a new analytical tool for effective decision-making and management of the reform implementation process.
The Reform Matrix is an analytical tool for effective implementation and monitoring of the implementation of all planned measures. It includes more than 200 reforms (more than 400 indicators) and contains an expert assessment of the impact of reforms on economic growth and recovery, carried out by Kyiv School of Economics and Center for Economic Strategy with the advice of the Harvard Growth Lab and the assistance of the World Bank.
The Ministry of Finance of Ukraine is responsible for monitoring the implementation of the Reform Matrix, as well as obligations under financial support programs and to international partners. And other ministries and central bodies of executive power, which are responsible for the implementation of the measures provided for in the commitments, will have to regularly provide up-to-date information on the results of the implementation of the measures.
In order to maximize the effect of reforms, Ukraine, together with international partners, needs to focus its efforts on three areas:
1) eliminate macroeconomic risks thanks to partners within the Multilateral Coordination Platform of Donors and ensure long-term (until 2027) external financing and non-monetary support;
2) promote faster recovery by removing the main obstacles to development. It is necessary to ensure air defense, energy stability, stable and predictable access to foreign markets, overcome labor shortages and restore logistics (SEAL+);
3) enhance potential growth - it is necessary to complement the reforms with investments determined by time and volume and agreements on the transfer of technologies from partners that will contribute to increased productivity and capital growth.
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has adopted the draft law No. 5705, which provides for the introduction of electronic tickets in city passenger transport.
From now on, an electronic ticket for travel in transport is recognized on a par with paper counterparts.
The draft law creates conditions for the operation of an automated fare payment system in city passenger transport within one of the key reforms of the transport industry - the introduction of an electronic ticket.
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has adopted in the second reading draft law No. 9432 on the functioning of the English language in Ukraine.
The project proposes to consolidate the status of English as one of the languages of international communication in Ukraine, since our country intends to join the EU, and Ukrainians still do not have sufficient knowledge of this foreign language.
This draft law defines the categories of positions for which candidates must speak English, regulates the specifics of its use in the work of state authorities and local self-government bodies, units of emergency assistance to the population, when crossing the state border, in the fields of education, transport, and health care.
The draft law provides for the study of English from kindergartens and at all levels of education. He also proposes to broadcast films in English in cinemas, and in case tickets are not sold-out, the state will compensate a part of the funds to the institutions.
Adoption of the draft law will oblige those applying for positions to speak English:
- civil service category "A", civil service category "B" and "C", the list of which is established by the Cabinet of Ministers
- heads of local state administrations and their deputies
- officers of the military who serve under a contract (the list is established by the CMU)
- middle and senior police officers, chiefs in other law enforcement agencies and civil protection services (the list is established by the government), prosecutors, employees of customs and tax authorities (the list is established by the CMU)
- managers of economic entities of the state sector of the economy (the list is determined by the Cabinet of Ministers)
Officials will take the English language exam for free, it will be organized by the Ministry of Education and Science. You can go through it no more than once every 4 months, but an unlimited number of times.
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has supported draft law No. 11256-2 in the first reading, which provides for an increase in the excise tax on fuel.
It is an alternative to draft laws No. 11256 and No. 11256-1, which the deputies rejected.
In March, the Cabinet of Ministers submitted to the Verkhovna Rada draft laws on increasing excise duties on alcohol, fuel and tobacco products in order to provide additional revenues to the state budget.
On May 31, the Verkhovna Rada's Committee on Finance supported the increase in excise taxes on fuel.
As noted in the explanatory note to project No. 11256, Directive No. 2003/96/EC provides for much higher excise tax rates on petroleum products than in Ukraine.
The project establishes a schedule for the annual increase of such rates from July 1, 2024 to December 31, 2027 (for four years).
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has automatically extended the moratorium on mobilization for three months. This applies to those employees who received a reservation from the Ministry of Economy.
Thus, the reservation is automatically extended for three months for those whose term has not expired at the time of the adoption of the resolution, i.e. on May 7.
The resolution concerns reservation within the relevant decisions of the Ministry of Economy, according to Resolution of the CMU No. 76 od January 27, 2023 "Some issues of implementation of the provisions of the Law of Ukraine "On Mobilization Training and Mobilization" regarding the reservation of conscripts for the period of mobilization and for wartime."
Currently, the issue of reservation from mobilization is regulated precisely by Resolution No. 76 of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, but after the new Law on Mobilization came into force, the issue of granting deferments to certain categories of persons was clarified.
At the moment, the authorities are developing new mechanisms by which reservation will be provided to conscripts.
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has adopted draft law as a whole No. 3356-д regarding the mandatory use of liquid biofuel (biocomponents) in the field of transport.
According to the document, from May 1, 2025, the mandatory biofuel component in gasoline must be at least 5%. It is about the use of biobutanol, biogas, biodiesel, bioethanol, biohydrogen, etc.
According to the explanatory note to the basic draft law, the purpose of the document is to create a regulatory framework for the development of the sphere of production, circulation and use of liquid biofuel in transport.
Achieving the goal is planned by introducing amendments to the Law of Ukraine "On Alternative Fuels", the Law of Ukraine "On Basic Principles of State Supervision (Control) in the Field of Economic Activity."
