Journalists' access to premises where committees hold their meetings is regulated in accordance to out-of-date norms, which make it quite complicated.
Verkhovna Rada provides no standard procedure of getting access to public events, and meetings of committees. Resolution passed in 2006 requires consenting participation of journalists with a committee head or press-service, what is contradictory to regulations of the Resolution passed in 2011. The Committee on Budget, Committee on National Security and Defense, Committee on Rules of Parliamentary Procedure, Ethics and Support to Work of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine are regulated by the latter.
The guard will not let journalists in till they find the necessary surname in an invitation list. The preliminary agreement, as well as accreditation card, doesn't secure a place for you in the "list of chosen". Everything depends on the goodwill of committee members.
It's relatively easy to receive permits to meetings of the Committee on European Integration, Committee on Science and Education, and Committee on Legislative Support of Law Enforcement. However, no matter how complex the procedure is, the access of journalists to meetings is restricted, what is contradictory to regulations of the Resolution passed in 2011.
The problem is in limitation of access to meetings of committees, what proves the presence of double standards in VRU openness.
Therefore, committees of the Verkhovna Rada violate the Regulations for the Accreditation of Journalists and Media Technical Staff. At the same time, access of accredited journalists to media lodge and lobbies near the Session Hall during plenary sitting, as well as to parliamentary premises during public events is in accordance with the legislation. It means that the problem is in limitation of access to meetings of committees, what proves the presence of double standards in VRU openness.
OPORA is convinced that the easiest way to solve this issue is securing identical interpretation of the Regulations for the Accreditation of Journalists and Media Technical Staff by all the Parliamentary structures. However, even this cannot guarantee openness of committees. In Ukraine, hindrance to journalist activities is possible within lawful activities.
According to a lawyer Liudmyla Pankratova, the Law on Committees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine should be amended firstly. "Article 9(3) of the effective Law on Committees provides not obligation, but the right to disseminate information about activities in the committees through the media and on official web site of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. – Moreover, the Law provides that "mass media representatives may be invited to meetings of the committees." Such regulation makes the presence of journalists during open sittings dependent on the MPs' goodwill."
It's not only contrary to the Regulations for the Accreditation of Journalists, but also to the Article 25 of the Law of Ukraine on Information, which secures the right to freely access government premises.
Civil Network OPORA is convinced that the problem of restricted access to information about activities of VRU committees can be solved through making amendments to the corresponding legislation. However, even the best regulations are worthless if state servants are not motivated to adhere to them.