President Petro Poroshenko of Ukraine has signed the law on ratification of a memorandum of mutual understanding between Ukraine and the European Union on the allocation to Ukraine of macrofinancial assistance from the European Union to the tune of EUR 1 billion, the presidential website said. By implementing the memorandum, Ukraine will be able to receive additional funding from the EU to the tune of EUR 1 billion to be used for purposes stated in the national budget.
In order to receive each of the two tranches of the EU’s financial assistance to the tune of EUR 500 million each, Ukraine must meet certain conditions that have been agreed upon by the parties in such areas as tax and customs policy, fighting corrupting, small-scale privatization, management of state-run enterprises, corporate management in state-owned banks and banking supervision, and further reforms in power industry, health care, and social care.
As was earlier reported, the Verkhovna Rada ratified the memorandum on November 8, 2018.
The agreements were signed in Kyiv on September 14, 2018, following President Poroshenko’s earlier agreements with leaders of EU institutions as a result of the East Partnership Summit that took place in Brussels on November 23, 2017, and the 20th Ukraine-the EU summit that was held in Kyiv on July 9, 2018.
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Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has signed the law “On introducing changes to Article 5 of the law on Ukraine ‘On distribution of audiovisual products, audio recordings, video recordings, computer programs and databases.'” The bill strengthens existing ways to fight piracy and copyright violations. According to the president’s press service on Tuesday, the purpose of this law is to improve the process of marking with control stamps audiovisual works, audio/video recordings, computer programs, and databases. “Thanks to the increased transparency of the labeling process, right holders will be able to effectively control the process of issuing stamps and to counteract fraud and the unlawful use of these protective elements in a timely manner,” the press service said.
The president’s press service said implementation of the law will contribute to the creation of an additional mechanism to combat piracy and copyright violations.
As reported, on September 4, Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada passed bill No. 4571, which introduces some changes in the procedure for issuing control stamps to audiovisual works, audio and video recordings, computer programs, and databases. According to the text of the bill, applications documents, including a list of named copies, must be submitted on paper and electronic media.
At the same time, the institution that deals with issuing control stamps, within three working days from the date of issue of such stamps, will publish on its official website a list of sample names of audiovisual works, audio/video recordings, computer programs and databases indicating the works recorded on these samples, as well as data on the applicant for which the decision was made to issue control stamps, as well as their quantity, series and control number.
President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has signed the law on basic principles and requirements for organic production, circulation and labeling of organic products, the presidential press service has said. According to the report, the implementation of the norms of the law will ensure the improvement and harmonization of the Ukrainian legislation with the legislation of the European Union in the sphere of production and circulation of organic goods and will help create transparent business conditions, reduce unfair competition, increase the competitiveness of domestic organic products and expand foreign markets for its sale.
The law establishes the basic principles and requirements for organic production, circulation and labeling of organic products, the basis for the legal regulation of organic production, the circulation of organic products and the functioning of the market of such goods. The legal basis for the activity of central executive authorities, the subjects of the organic products market and the direction of state policy in these areas are also defined.
As reported, the Verkhovna Rada on July 10 at second reading and as a whole adopted law No. 5448-d on basic principles and requirements for organic production, circulation and labeling of organic products. Some 237 people’s deputies voted for the document with the quorum being 226 votes.
President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has signed the law on effective management of copyright in the sphere of copyright and related rights (passed by parliament under No. 7466), which establishes rules for the operation of collective copyright management organizations, according to the website of the Verkhovna Rada. Some 246 people’s deputies on May 15 supported this document after in late April the United States had canceled duty-free import of a number of goods from Ukraine because of copyright infringement.
The law notes that a collective copyright management organization is a registered public association with the status of a legal entity that does not have the purpose of making profit, founded solely by copyrights holders, whose activities are aimed at collective management of property rights to objects of copyright and (or) related rights.
The document establishes the procedure and requirements for accreditation and registration of such organizations, specifies the content of the register of such unions, and regulates the issues of collection, distribution and payment of remuneration to copyright holders.
Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko has vetoed the law adopted by the Verkhovna Rada on limiting domestic consumption of raw timber to 25 million cubic meters per year and on a temporary ban on timber exports. As reported on the website of the Ukrainian parliament, the relevant bill (No. 5495) on July 23, 2018 was returned with president’s proposals, which are not currently available on the parliament’s website.
As was earlier reported, on July 3, 234 deputies passed the bill (No. 5495) on making amendments to some laws of Ukraine concerning the preservation of Ukrainian forests and preventing the illegal export of unprocessed timber in the second reading and as a whole.
According to amendments taken into account in the second reading of the document, administrative and criminal liability for illegal logging and its timber exports outside customs control (smuggling) has been significantly strengthened.
The Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses, in particular, introduces a clause according to which illegal cutting and transportation, storage of illegally cut trees entail the imposition on citizens of a fine of 15 to 30 non-taxable minimum incomes of citizens (1 non-taxable minimum – UAH 17), and on officials – from 75 to 150 non-taxable minimum incomes of citizens (in current legislation – from five to ten and from seven to 12 non-taxable minimum incomes of citizens, respectively).
In case of a repeated offense within a year, the amount of the fine is from 30 to 60 non-taxable minimums for citizens from 300 to 600 for officials. In addition, according to changes in Ukraine’s Criminal Code, movement across the customs border of Ukraine outside the customs control or concealment from the uncontrolled control of unprocessed timber or sawn valuable or rare species is punishable by imprisonment for three to five years.
The same actions that have been committed repeatedly or by prior conspiracy by a group of persons or an official using his official position are punishable by imprisonment for a term of five to ten years, with deprivation of the right to occupy certain positions and with confiscation of property. If these actions are committed by an organized group of individuals or on a particularly large scale, a penalty of imprisonment of ten to 12 years is provided, with deprivation of the right to engage in certain activities for three years and with confiscation of property.
President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has signed the law on ratification of the agreement between the government of Ukraine and the government of Finland on implementing the project “Finnish Support for the Ukrainian School Reform,” the presidential press service has reported. The Verkhovna Rada passed the law on July 3, 2018. The agreement between the governments of Ukraine and Finland on implementing the project “Finnish Support for the Ukrainian School Reform” was signed in Kyiv on March 5, 2018.
The document is the legal basis for the effective implementation of the project and attraction of technical assistance from the government of Finland in support of the reform of general secondary education in Ukraine.
According to the agreement, within the framework of the project it is planned to attract up to EUR6 million of technical assistance from Finland to support the reform of secondary education in Ukraine. The project will be implemented in 2018-2021.
