The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted new rules for the creation and administration of state IT systems.
Mandatory requirements for each stage of IT systems development life cycle:
- creation, updating and development of information technology tools
- support and administration of information resources
- replacing old, ineffective programs
- localization of programs to comply with Ukrainian standards
- benefits for the state and business
- single standard for all customers.
Previously, each institution had its own approaches to managing IT projects. Now, the requirements will become unified to use funds more efficiently.
The new system will help optimize government spending on IT: budget requests will become more justified, and manipulation of pricing in tenders will be impossible.
Open standards will simplify the integration of information systems with each other and make them adaptive.
Requirements for cybersecurity and personal data protection have been strengthened, which is especially important for state registries, e-government systems, and online services.
This is how we optimize digital technologies and improve the quality and security of public services — making services convenient for Ukrainians.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved the Procedure for organizing and conducting public hearings in the process of issuing an integrated environmental permit, developed by the Ministry of Environment to fulfill the requirements of the Law of Ukraine "On Integrated Prevention and Control of Industrial Pollution".
The document is aimed at regulating the procedure for organizing and conducting public hearings in the process of issuing an integrated environmental permit. The permit issuance procedure itself provides for the possibility of holding public hearings during public discussions to provide the society with high-quality, operational information to ensure more effective implementation of citizens' rights and interests.
Public hearings will be held by regional, Kyiv and Sevastopol city state administrations, the executive body of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea for ecology and natural resources, which will be determined by the Ministry of Environment. Such public hearings will be held if at least five people have registered to participate in them.
Holding public hearings will allow the public to directly participate in the integrated environmental permit issuance procedure and will facilitate dialogue with the installation operator.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved a plan to implement a national greenhouse gas emissions trading system (hereinafter – ETS), which creates the necessary prerequisites for the implementation of state policy in the field of climate change.
The implementation of the ETS is one of the key instruments for achieving climate neutrality, as well as one of the main requirements for Ukraine's accession to the EU. The implementation of the plan will contribute to achieving the Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Agreement, reduce the consequences of the introduction of the EU's cross-border carbon regulation mechanism, and prepare Ukraine for participation in the European ETS.
ETS is a market-based mechanism for reducing greenhouse gas emissions that has been successfully implemented in many countries around the world, including the EU, China, Mexico and Switzerland. It works by setting a general limit on greenhouse gas emissions for companies. Each company receives or buys a certain number of allowances that it can use for its own needs or sell on a quota market that will be created within the framework of this mechanism.
This approach creates economic incentives for businesses to implement energy-efficient and environmentally friendly technologies. As a result, enterprises will comply with mandatory requirements for greenhouse gas emissions in the most effective way.
The ETS implementation plan approved by the Government provides for three main stages:
- preparatory (2025–2027) – development of the legislative framework and creation of necessary tools for the operation of the ETS;
- first, "pilot" (from 2028) – a test launch of the greenhouse gas emissions trading system;
- second, operational – will begin no earlier than three years after the lifting of martial law, which will allow the implementation of the SBS in conditions of stable economic recovery.
Benefits of implementing ETS for Ukraine:
- reducing greenhouse gas emissions will contribute to improving air quality, which will have a positive impact on public health;
- ETS will encourage enterprises to invest in the latest technologies, which will increase their competitiveness in the international market;
- compliance with EU standards will bring Ukraine closer to full integration into the European economic space;
- international investors actively support projects aimed at reducing CO₂ emissions. This will open up new financial opportunities for Ukrainian businesses;
- the transition to environmentally friendly technologies and increased energy efficiency will help reduce dependence on traditional energy resources.
The Ministry of Finance of Ukraine published a draft resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine "On approval of requirements for the installation and operation of video surveillance systems at the facilities of enterprises that have been granted authorization to operate a customs warehouse and a temporary storage warehouse, permits to operate a duty-free shop and a free customs zone of a commercial or service type" (hereinafter – the draft resolution) for comments and suggestions.
The draft resolution was developed to implement paragraph 2 of Section II "Final and Transitional Provisions" of Law of Ukraine No. 3926-IX of August 22, 2024 "On Amendments to the Customs Code of Ukraine on the Implementation of Certain Provisions of the Customs Code of the European Union" (hereinafter – Law No. 3926-IX), to implement the requirements of Part Four of Article 404 of the Customs Code of Ukraine (hereinafter – the Code) regarding the establishment of requirements for the arrangement and operation of video surveillance systems at the facilities of enterprises that have been granted authorization to operate a customs warehouse and a temporary storage warehouse, as well as permits to operate a duty-free shop and a free customs zone of a commercial or service type, by approving them by a resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers.
Equipping enterprise facilities with video surveillance systems will help ensure compliance with the Code, contribute to preventing and combating smuggling, combating violations of customs rules, including timely response to offenses, monitoring by customs authorities of the enterprise's compliance with the criteria and/or conditions for granting authorization or permission to conduct relevant activities of the enterprise, etc.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine prepared a draft Law "On Amendments to Clause 6-2 of Section IV "Final and Transitional Provisions".
The draft law aims to recognize war veterans as a protected category within the meaning of paragraph 6-2 of Section IV "Final and Transitional Provisions" of the Law of Ukraine "On Consumer Lending" (Registration No. 13033) to provide additional social guarantees in the field of credit obligations and clarify the grounds for recognizing certain other persons as protected categories.
The draft Law proposes to amend paragraph 6-2 of Section IV "Final and Transitional Provisions" of the Law of Ukraine "On Consumer Lending", including the following:
- paragraph four should be reworded to include in the protected category servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine other military formations and special-purpose law enforcement agencies established in accordance with the laws of Ukraine, state special-purpose agencies with law enforcement functions, the intelligence agency of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the intelligence agency of the central executive body implementing state policy in the field of state border protection, the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine, as well as members of their families;
- recognize military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, police officers, rank and file and command staff of the Civil Protection Service and other special-purpose military formations and law enforcement agencies established in accordance with the laws of Ukraine, special-purpose state agencies with law enforcement functions, the intelligence agency of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the intelligence agency of the central executive body implementing state policy in the field of state border protection, the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine, as well as their family members; war veterans; persons in respect of whom it has been established that they were deprived of their personal liberty as a result of armed aggression against Ukraine, and their family members; family members of persons who have acquired the legal status of persons missing under special circumstances, as a protected category of persons;
- determine the types of supporting documents for the above-mentioned protected categories of persons;
- designate the Ministry of Veterans Affairs as the body to which the creditor has the right to apply for confirmation of information regarding the consumer's belonging to the protected category – war veterans.
The National Securities and Stock Market Commission (NSSMC) has updated the Criteria for Determining Enterprises, Institutions, and Organizations Important for Capital Markets and Organized Commodity Markets.
The decision is aimed at bringing the regulatory framework of the NSSMC into line with current legislation. The new criteria allow for a clearer and more thorough identification of companies that are of strategic importance to the economy and whose employees will be entitled to reservations. According to the Criteria, enterprises, institutions, and organizations are defined as being of significant importance to a sector of the national economy, namely: for capital markets and organized commodity markets, if they collectively meet points 1 - 4 or 1 - 3 and at least one subparagraph of point 5 of such criteria.
You can read the text of the document here.
The document states that the Decision will enter into force on the day following its official publication on the official website of the National Securities and Stock Market Commission (i.e., February 15, 2025).
The National Bank of Ukraine, in order to create new functional opportunities for government securities market participants, by its resolution No. 20 of February 15, 2025 "On Approval of Amendments to the Regulations on Conducting Depository and Clearing Activities and Ensuring Settlements for Securities Transactions by the National Bank of Ukraine", updated the Regulations on Conducting Depository and Clearing Activities and Ensuring Settlements for Securities Transactions by the National Bank of Ukraine.
Firstly, a new type of settlement for transactions involving domestic government bonds (DGB) has been introduced – “delivery of securities against delivery of securities”. This will provide the possibility of making settlements for a new type of placement of DGB – by holding auctions for the placement of DGB with simultaneous exchange for DGB of another issue that are in circulation. The corresponding possibility was introduced by Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 1053 of September 13, 2024 “On Amendments to Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 80 of January 31, 2001 ”.
Conducting a new type of auction will provide the Ministry of Finance with the opportunity to conduct active operations to increase the efficiency of domestic public debt management.
Secondly, opportunities for cross-border settlements for transactions involving government bonds have been expanded through a "link" between the National Bank's depository and the foreign depository Clearstream Banking Luxembourg (Clearstream). In addition to the existing “delivery of securities without payment” settlements, settlements based on the “delivery of securities against payment” principle have been introduced. Under this type of settlement, the National Bank depository will ensure cash settlements simultaneously with the delivery of government bonds. At the same time, cash settlements will be made between accounts opened in the Electronic Payments System of the National Bank of Ukraine. This corresponds to the best international practice, which requires settlements in “central bank money” for securities transactions.
Settlements based on the "delivery of securities against payment" principle are designed to improve risk management processes for parties to transactions involving DGB via a "link" with Clearstream, as well as to introduce the experience of foreign investors working with local infrastructure that ensures the guarantee of settlements for securities transactions.
In addition, certain features of transactions with bonds of external government loans have been regulated in order to increase legal certainty, in particular, regarding corporate transactions.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved amendments to Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 955 of October 17, 2008 “On Measures to Stabilize Prices for Medicines and Medical Products”.
Thus, in accordance with the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine of February 12, 2025 "On Additional Measures to Ensure Availability of Medicines for Ukrainians", put into effect by Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 82/2025, the issue of mark-ups on medicines, the ban on any marketing services for their promotion, and the resumption of inspections by the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection regarding price control in pharmacy chains are being regulated.
The approved changes, in particular, provide that from March 1, 2025, the maximum supply and sales markups charged by distributors of medicines to the wholesale prices for all medicines cannot exceed 8% (with some exceptions).
Additionally, regressive marginal trade (retail) mark-ups are established to the purchase prices of prescription drugs – from 10% to 25%, depending on the cost of the drug.
The maximum trade (retail) mark-ups for over-the-counter medicines purchased from sources not prohibited by the legislation of Ukraine, other than state and/or local budgets, should not exceed 35% of the purchase price.
Also, from March 1, 2025, a ban is imposed on the provision of marketing services, services for the promotion of medicines, information and other services related to the sale of medicines to the end consumer until the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine introduces a separate summary of wholesale prices for all medicines and develops clear rules for marketing.
In addition, from March 1, 2025, state supervision (control) measures over compliance by pharmacies and distributors with the requirements for the formation, establishment and application of state regulated prices will be resumed. Prices in pharmacies will be checked by the State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Protection .
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted relevant amendments to the Procedure for reimbursement by cadets and officers of expenses related to their maintenance in higher education institutions, approved by Resolution No. 964 of July 12, 2006.
The updated procedure applies not only to military universities, but also to institutions of professional pre-higher military education. The document also takes into account the peculiarities of service during martial law and mobilization.
Also, new items have appeared among the grounds for reimbursement, in particular, termination of Ukrainian citizenship and refusal to continue serving in the positions of sergeant, warrant officer, or officer.
The funds returned by cadets and officers will be credited to the general fund of the state budget. This meets the requirements of budget legislation and ensures transparency in the use of state funds.
