Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman supports the initiative to strengthen the adopted law on protecting businesses from the actions of law enforcement officers (the so-called “stop masks-show” law) by establishing controllers’ liability for exceeding their powers.
“The law is designed to restore order in relations between the law enforcement system and business. Our priority is to improve living conditions, but this is possible amid the development of the economy and entrepreneurship,” the government’s press service quoted Groysman as saying on April 7 at a meeting of the interdepartmental commission on the observance of the rights and legal interests of individuals by law enforcement agencies.
He said that the key task of the new commission, which includes mainly representatives of business associations and the Office of the Business Ombudsman, was to consider all cases of pressure on businesses.
“If there is excess of authority, we will give our conclusions and we will apply to law enforcement bodies so that they take personnel decisions regarding dishonest workers… But there will also be requirements for business entities – honest business, fair payment of taxes. This balance must be maintained,” he said.
He suggested that entrepreneurs, before the next meeting of the commission, determine cases of pressure on businesses so that specific decisions on further actions could be taken.
According to the government’s press service, the adopted government law on business protection should be implemented and strengthened with new legislative initiatives – in the context of establishing the liability of controllers for exceeding their authority.
As reported, on November 16, 2017, the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, adopted at first reading and as a whole draft law No. 7275 on amendments to some legislative acts to ensure that law enforcement agencies observe the rights of participants in criminal proceedings and other persons during pretrial investigations.
President Petro Poroshenko signed the law on December 1.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has warned Germany against participation in the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, suggesting, as an alternative, the modernization of a transit gas pipeline passing through Ukrainian territory.
In an interview with German business newspaper Handelsblatt, extracts from which were published by the Ukrainian service of Deutsche Welle, Poroshenko noted that Nord Stream 2 was a political project that is financed by Russia and has no economic justification.
“Nord Stream 2 is a political bribe for loyalty to Russia, imposing an economic and energy blockade on Ukraine, which will hurt us greatly,” he said.
According to him, an alternative solution is the modernization of the existing transit gas pipeline that passes through Ukraine. Poroshenko also said that the development of the gas transportation infrastructure in Ukraine would not require multibillion investments.
On March 27, Nord Stream 2 AG received the permit for the construction and operation of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline system in the German exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is to pass across the Baltic Sea, connecting Russian suppliers with European consumers at over 1,200 km in length. The pipeline will have capacity for 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year. The project has an estimated cost of almost 10 billion euros. Gazprom’s partners in the project are Engie, OMV, Shell and two German companies BASF and Uniper.
In early April, the Verkhovna Rada urged foreign parliaments, governments and the international business community not to participate in the preparation, financing or lobbying of the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.
Ukraine’s foreign minister has been invited for the first time to a meeting of the foreign ministers of the G7 countries, which will begin in Toronto, Canada, on April 22, Ukrainian Ambassador to Canada Andriy Shevchenko has told Ukrainian Internet newspaper Yevropeiska Pravda. He confirmed that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin had received an invitation to the meeting from his Canadian counterpart Chrystia Freeland.
“The time has come for serious, strategic decisions on Ukraine and Russia… We are happy that Ukraine will be able to join the difficult but critically needed conversation, and we hope to make a valuable contribution to future joint decisions,” Shevchenko said.
According to him, Ukraine hopes that this conversation will be continued at the upcoming summit of G7 leaders, which will be held in the Canadian region of Charlevoix (Quebec) in June.
Ukraine as of Friday, April 6, had sowed 138,000 hectares with grain and leguminous crops, or 6% of the forecast, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food has said.
According to information on its website, spring grains are sown in 13 regions.
In particular, spring wheat was planted on 2,000 hectares, or 1% of the plan, spring barley on 82,000 ha (5%), oats on 3,000 ha (1%), and peas on 51,000 ha (12%).
Fertilization of winter crops for grain is continuing: nutrients have been used on an area of 4.5 million hectares (62% of the forecast).
A survey of winter grains for the 2018 harvest shows that out from the seeded 7.3 million ha, seedlings were obtained on 99.7% of the areas, of which 6.4 million hectares (89%) are in a good and satisfactory state, while those on 816,500 hectares (11%) are weak and thick.
Winter crops for grain for the harvest of 2018 have been sown on an area of 7.3 million hectares, or 101% of the area under the 2017 harvest. In particular, wheat was sown on 6.3 million hectares, or 103% of the target, barley on 800,000 hectares, or 94%, rye on 149,400 hectares, or 88%. In addition, winter rapeseeds for grain have been sown on an area of one million hectares or 112%
