The Association “Insurance Business” (ASB) appealed to the deputies of the Verkhovna Rada with a request to postpone the deadline for bringing the activities of insurance companies in line with the requirements of the law “On Insurance”, according to the information of the association. According to the new version of the law “On Insurance” adopted on November 18, 2021, insurers must bring their activities in line with its norms until July 1 this year
“We have prepared to the members of Parliament a very reasonable proposal to postpone this deadline to January 1, 2026,” – said the general director of the ASB Vyacheslav Chernyakhovsky.
He pointed out that during the preparation and adoption of the law it was planned that all the changes stipulated by it would be introduced under normal conditions of a relatively stable political and economic situation. But three months after its adoption, Russia’s full-scale military aggression began.
“It is clear that such cardinal changes are impossible in the new conditions of war and the struggle of the whole country with the biggest crisis in its existence,” he emphasized.
In support of this, Chernyakhovsky cites the following facts, in particular, the fact that the vast majority of NBU regulations were adopted in the last decade of December 2023, of which 10 NPAs have an ultra-high level of influence on all business processes of insurers. The consequence of these changes in legislation and regulatory framework is the need to update all internal documents of insurance companies (more than 100 documents with a total volume of more than 1 thousand pages), development of new insurance terms and conditions instead of insurance rules, forms for all insurance contracts, new software, etc.
“Based on this, insurers actually do not have the technical and physical ability to implement all these cardinal changes for the first half of 2024, which also accounts for the compilation and submission of all annual reports to all government agencies, the audit of financial statements, owners’ meetings, etc.” – is noted in the report
As confirmation of the data of the survey conducted by three insurance associations (ASB, LSOU, NASU) in April 2024 on readiness for the new norms of the law, which showed that out of 59 insurance companies that participated in the survey (61% of the total number of companies in the market, which own 86% of the total amount of premiums), only 20% believed that they will be fully ready to complete the necessary modernization of their activities before the date of entry into force of the requirements of the new law.
The Law “On Insurance” also introduces new capital requirements: the minimum amount of which is raised to UAH 32 mln. or UAH 48 mln. depending on the classes of insurance activities and regardless of the size of business and liabilities of the insurer, which negatively affects primarily insurers with Ukrainian capital, the report says.
“Such requirements put in unequal conditions small (mainly with Ukrainian owners) and large insurance companies. It is especially difficult to fulfill them to regional insurers, in particular, working in the regions most affected by Russian aggression: Zaporizhzhya, Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Odessa regions”, is noted in the message.
The draft law No. 10346 on state regulation of production and circulation of ethyl alcohol, alcohol distillates, bioethanol, alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, tobacco raw materials, liquids used in electronic cigarettes, and fuel adopted by the Parliament provides for a number of exemptions for craft products.
This was announced by Ivan Marchuk, Chairman of the Subcommittee on State-Business Interaction and Investment of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Economic Development.
“For the first time in more than 30 years of our independence, we have jointly structured legislation designed to lay down the most comfortable and unified principles for the development of the Big (small) Craft Four – small winemakers, small distillers, small honey producers and small brewers,” he wrote on Facebook.
Marchuk called the main elements of the “craft revolution” the permission for small brewers to produce 1 million liters and at the same time have a declaration instead of the burdensome and costly certification of production.
For all craft producers, the rules for obtaining a license in electronic form within 10 days and reporting on production and turnover once a year were unified and re-enforced;
At the same time, fines for failure to submit or late submission of reports with inaccurate information on production and turnover volumes, etc. were reduced by 10 times.
“Of course, there is no limit to improvement, we will continue to improve the legislation for SMEs. We have already agreed to work on the possibility for small winemakers to produce semi-sparkling wines “petnats” under a “small license” and other useful benefits, which will be discussed later,” the MP summarized.
The Motor (Transport) Insurance Bureau of Ukraine (MTSBU) will hold the first session of the online course “Fundamentals of the New Law on CMTPL Insurance” on May 31 at 10:00, according to the Bureau’s Facebook page.
The session will be conducted by Roman Romensky, Head of the MTSBU Legal Department, who will talk about the basic principles and procedure for concluding insurance contracts in accordance with the basics of the new law (Section I-II of the draft law).
It is specified that participants do not need to register, it is enough to follow the YouTube live link https://www.youtube.com/live/hIQEzWFqQqc.
In connection with the adoption on May 21, 2024 by the Verkhovna Rada of the draft law “On Compulsory Insurance of Civil Liability of Owners of Inland Motor Vehicles” will hold a familiarization course on the main provisions of the bill, according to the website of the Bureau.
The familiarization course will consist of four sessions (by sections of the draft law), which will be held on the official YouTube channel of the MTSBU on Fridays at 10:00, lasting 1 hour 30 minutes, of which 30 minutes will be allocated for answering questions.
The tentative plan of the lectures is as follows: Session 1: Basic fundamentals of the New Law on CMTPL insurance and the procedure for concluding insurance contracts (І-ІІІ section of the draft law), Session 2-3: Settlement of insurance claims and the procedure for making payments (III section of the draft law), Session 4: Updating the functional work of the MTSBU and the basic principles of insurance companies’ membership in the Bureau (IV section of the draft law).
The Parliamentary Committee on the Organization of State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning
has recommended that the Verkhovna Rada adopt in the second reading and as a whole the draft law on amendments to certain laws on expanding the powers of local governments to support the security and defense sector of Ukraine (No. 9559-d), the press service of the Verkhovna Rada’s apparatus reports.
The draft law proposes to amend the laws “On Local Self-Government in Ukraine” and “On Prevention of Corruption” to expand the powers of local governments to provide financial and material support to the security and defense sector during martial law or a state of emergency.
The draft law provides for empowering executive bodies of village, town and city councils to build, equip and maintain engineering and fortification structures.
According to the draft law, local authorities may approve local budgets and amend them, approve programs of socio-economic and cultural development, targeted programs on other local government issues, transfer funds in the form of intergovernmental transfers to the relevant local budgets in the event of temporary occupation of a territorial community and the failure to establish a military administration.
The draft law also provides for the possibility of appointing a village, town or city mayor to the position of head of the relevant military administration of the settlement(s) without dismissal. In addition, the draft law allows civil servants and local self-government officials who are on unpaid leave or in the event of downtime or suspension of their employment contract to be appointed to positions in other state and local government bodies, military administrations, and legal entities under public law.
The draft law also expands the organizational capacity of the leadership of regional and district councils under martial law in the event of a vacancy in the position of the chairman of such council.
The draft law also regulates the procedure for holding remote meetings of local self-government bodies.
The Verkhovna Rada adopted draft law No. 9559-d as a basis on April 11.
The Motor (Transport) Insurance Bureau of Ukraine (MTIBU) will conduct an introductory course on the main provisions of the draft law “On Compulsory Insurance of Civil Liability of Owners of Land Vehicles” in connection with the adoption of the draft law by the Verkhovna Rada on May 21, 2024, the Bureau’s website reports.
The introductory course will consist of four sessions (by sections of the draft law), which will be held on the official YouTube channel of the MTIBU on Fridays at 10:00 a.m., lasting 1 hour and 30 minutes, of which 30 minutes will be allocated for answering questions.
Approximate plan of lectures: 1 session: Basic principles of the New Law on MTPL and the procedure for concluding insurance contracts (I-II sections of the draft law), 2-3 sessions: Settlement of insurance claims and the procedure for making payments (Section III of the draft law), Session 4: Updating the functional work of the MTIBU and the basic principles of insurance companies’ membership in the Bureau (Section IV of the draft law).
To participate in the online course, you do not need to register, just follow the link on the specified day at 10:00.
Session links:
31.05.2024 https://www.youtube.com/live/hIQEzWFqQqc
07.06.2024 https://www.youtube.com/live/sy_nYwJzV7c
14.06.2024 https://www.youtube.com/live/EjkFx85kJ6I
21.06.2024 https://www.youtube.com/live/quhN5IfmApc
On Wednesday, the Polish Parliament adopted amendments to the law on assistance to Ukrainian citizens, which, in particular, provide for the extension of the legal stay of Ukrainians in the country, according to the website of the Polish channel RFT24.
“The adoption of these amendments was recommended by the parliamentary committee on administration and internal affairs. In accordance with the committee’s recommendation, the MPs rejected a number of Confederation amendments and the PiS amendment. The adopted amendments relate to the extension by four months of the deadline for filing applications for the right to practice the profession of doctor, dentist, nurse and midwife, as well as the recognition of certificates from citizens of a country that has terminated the international agreement on their mutual recognition,” the statement said.
The amendment to the Law on Assistance to Citizens of Ukraine provides, among other things, for the extension of the legal stay for Ukrainians who have been assigned a Ukr Pesel number until September 30, 2025, the preservation of payments for the next year and compulsory school education for Ukrainian children. The law also introduces new rules for confirming the identity of a Ukrainian citizen applying for a Pesel number. The only way to prove your identity is to present a valid travel document.
The amendment also specifies a maximum 36-month period during which students can attend additional free Polish language lessons. The decision will apply to students who started attending classes in 2022/23 and 2023/24. The resolution also expands access to medical, family and social benefits, allowances and the possibility of living in collective accommodation.
“The resolution also stipulates that starting from July 1, funding for accommodation and meals for refugees from Ukraine in a particularly difficult situation will be possible only on the basis of a signed agreement with a local voivode or a local government body acting on the basis of a voivode’s order. The rules for participation in the costs of accommodation and meals in collective centers will also change, making the payment of the subsidies due more efficient than now,” the statement said.
The law also provides for the abolition of benefits related to the compensation of refugees’ accommodation and food costs incurred by owners of private premises. As of July 1, the payment of one-time cash benefits in the amount of 300 zlotys will also be discontinued.
During the committee meeting, Deputy Minister of Education Ioanna Mukha noted that the amendment is related to the recent suspension in Belarus of issuing documents confirming the passing of the final exam to its citizens abroad. She said that refugees from Belarus cannot study in Poland without a high school diploma. She added that about five thousand Belarusian citizens are in this situation, but this may also apply to citizens of other countries.
The law, with the exception of some provisions, will come into force on July 1. It will now be discussed by the Senate (the upper house of the Polish parliament).
