The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine backed at first reading bill No. 5009 with amendments to some legislative acts of Ukraine regarding the simplification of connection to power grids. The bill was supported by 314 MPs without discussion.
The purpose of the bill is to significantly simplify the procedure for connecting customers to the power grids, reduce the number of procedures, documents and approvals, as well as significantly cut the time required for connection, remove artificial restrictions and remove barriers in the connection procedure, the website of the Verkhovna Rada reported.
The document is aimed at developing business and improving the investment attractiveness of Ukraine by improving its positions in World Bank’s Doing Business.
As Chairman of the relevant parliamentary committee and one of the authors of the bill, Andriy Gerus, said earlier, “the bill provides for simplification of land allocation and documentary procedures for regional electricity supply companies with the purpose of cutting the connection time by 60%.
According to an explanatory note to the document, today it takes over 280 days to connect in particular of a small bakery or workshop to the power grid. The reasons for this are the complex and bureaucratic procedure for registration of rights to land plots for energy facilities, necessary to ensure connections, a significant number of certificates and approvals.
In this regard, the bill abolishes the receipt of certain permits and approvals for connection, the solution of some issues is focused exclusively on the operator of the distribution system, it simplifies access to land plots for energy facilities.
According to the explanatory note, the single-stop mechanism is being implemented to provide customers and developers with design documentation for the construction or reconstruction of power supply networks, electrical installations, applications, inquiries, obtaining output data, information and statements necessary for design and construction and installation works, as well as for approval of the project documentation by the parties involved (authorities).
The Verkhovna Rada has approved amendments to the Land Code and other laws to improve the management and deregulation system in the field of land relations. Some 284 MPs backed at the final reading bill No. 2194.
As reported, the parliament began the second reading of bill No. 2194 on amendments to the Land Code and other laws to improve the management and deregulation system in the field of land relations on March 16.
The bill received 3,128 proposals and amendments, mainly from MPs from the Opposition Platform – For Life and Batkivschyna parliamentary factions.
According to the rules of procedure of the Verkhovna Rada, MPs cannot consider other issues until they finish consideration of the initiated bill.
Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada has adopted at the first reading bill No. 3087-d on the creation of the Bureau of Economic Security, which should become a single body for combating economic crimes and remove the duplication of these functions from various law enforcement agencies.
An Interfax-Ukraine correspondent has reported that the bill was supported by 245 MPs with the required 226 votes.
According to the document, the director of the Bureau is appointed based on the results of a competition and dismissed by the president. However, by the second reading it is planned to amend the bill to reassign the head of this body to the Cabinet of Ministers, said the co-author of the bill and Head of the committee on finance, tax and customs policy Danylo Hetmantsev.
According to him, this is necessary taking into account the decision of the Constitutional Court on the unconstitutionality of the appointment of Artem Sytnyk as director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau.
As the text of the bill shows, it is proposed to set the maximum number of the Bureau’s employees at 4,000 people. In turn, Hetmantsev said that the current number of employees of the tax police is 4,600.
“The director is accountable to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine,” Hetmantsev said.
