Cabinet Decree #827-p of September 19, 2023 

Decision-maker: the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine 

Who is affected: the National Agency for Corruption Prevention, Ministry of Justice, National Security and Defense Council, Ministry of Finance, National Bank, State Financial Monitoring, Antimonopoly Committee, State Tax Service, and Ministry of Economy  

Summary of the resolution: 

  • the implementation of the so-called “oligarch law”, including the launch of the registry of oligarchs, is postponed until after the end of the war 
  • the development of legislation on lobbying will be accelerated. In September, a bill from the NAPC is expected that is supposed to address issues of state registration of lobbyists, their reporting, launch of the registry of lobbyists, restrictions on receiving budget funding for lobbying activities, and penalties for those violating these restrictions 
  • the Law on Media that came into force in April 2023 is being officially implemented 
  • the plan to counter the influence of oligarchs will be supplemented with draft bills regarding politically significant persons, the reinstatement of political party financial reporting, transparency of elections, and a general provision on harmonization of Ukrainian laws with the EU legislation on public procurements 
  • the Cabinet officially supported the adoption of the methodology for identifying beneficiaries of legal entities and the implementation of corresponding automated verification tools 
  • articles regulating tariffs in the aviation and port industries will be excluded. 

What is right: 

  • the changes adopted by the Cabinet confirm that the fight against oligarchs is taken seriously and the state recognizes that the problem cannot be solved by just adopting one law. That is why the postponement of the implementation of the “oligarch law” and changes to the Cabinet plan are justified 
  • countering the influence of oligarchs is one of the requirements for Ukraine as a candidate for joining the European Union. 

Why this is important: 

  • in the autumn of 2021, the Law on Oligarchs was passed. It introduced the definition of “oligarchs” and imposed many restrictions on their participation in the political life of the country. In June 2023, the Venice Commission stated that the countermeasures for diminishing the influence of oligarchs should be systematic and include antitrust policy, prevention of corruption and money laundering, facilitation of pluralism in media, and regulations on funding of political parties and election campaigns 
  • as a result, a law to reinstate political party financial reporting was adopted as a part of the Law on Lawmaking that came into effect on September 20. The Cabinet of Ministers was ordered to prepare a bill on lobbying and lobbying activity within 6 months. This bill is designated as a priority.