Draft resolution #11140 of April 1, 2024 

Status: sent for review to the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Parliamentary Ethics, and Administration of the Work of the Verkhovna Rada 

Cosponsors: a group of 18 MPs from the factions European Solidarity, Holos, and Servant of the People with Iryna Herashchenko as the first signatory 

Who is affected: residents of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada, Apparatus of the Verkhovna Rada, parliamentary factions and groups, and MPs 

Summary: 

  • TV channel Rada will no longer participate in the telethon. The Apparatus of the Verkhovna Rada will allocate funding only to cover the work of the Verkhovna Rada, its departments, parliamentary factions and groups, and independent MPs 
  • the Apparatus of the Verkhovna Rada will organize official speeches and statements by the parliamentary leadership and briefings by individual MPs in one of the parliamentary buildings beyond the security posts 
  • on days of open plenary sessions of the Parliament, accredited media representatives will be granted one-time passes to attend only the administrative building of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (Hrushevsky Street, 5) and the lobbies of the third floor. One media will be allowed to send at most two of its representatives (journalists, operators, photographers) 
  • the maximum allowed number of media representatives present on the day of the plenary session in the lobbies of the third floor of the plenary wing of the Verkhovna Rada will be 100 people 
  • accredited journalists will be admitted on a rotation basis. 

What is right: 

transparent and detailed mechanism of admission of journalists to the lobbies of the Verkhovna Rada and the resumption of the broadcasts of plenary sessions on channel Rada will contribute to the increase in transparency and publicity of the Parliament’s work. 

Why this is important: 

the key legislative body of Ukraine — the Verkhovna Rada — has been operating in a shadow mode for four years. The lack of transparency undermines citizens’ trust in the Parliament and gives space to hostile narratives about its “illegitimacy.” By restoring a certain level (justified considering the security risks) of transparency, MPs will help society to have a clearer idea of what the Parliament and elected officials are doing. 

Additional information: 

  • column by Oksana Zabolotna: Closed Rada: why the Parliament should return the proper level of transparency as soon as possible