Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman has called on the leaders of foreign diplomatic institutions of Ukraine to contribute to the fight against smuggling. “Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman has urged the heads of diplomatic institutions of Ukraine abroad to join the campaign announced by the government dubbed “Ukraine without smuggling” by prompt response to cases of illegal actions and by providing information on the movement of goods taking into account their present price,” the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers said on the results of the meeting of the premier with heads of foreign diplomatic institutions in Kyiv on Tuesday.
Groysman, in particular, asked the diplomats to respond to the requests of the State Fiscal Service, customs office, law enforcement system and facilitate the rapid receipt of information from international partners.
Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman has said that Ukraine intends to sign an agreement on a free trade zone (FTA) with Turkey before the end of 2018. “Tomorrow, a delegation headed by the first deputy PM is coming back. We are going to sign an agreement on a free trade zone with Turkey this year,” the head of the government said on the Inter TV channel on Friday. Groysman said that this agreement would positively contribute to the development of the country’s economy.
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.
