Leaders of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine are planning to shift confrontations between MPs, which arise during consideration of draft laws, from the assembly hall to committees. In response, Members of Parliament show unwillingness to adhere to legislative regulations in their activities.
Civil Network OPORA has received information about plans of the VRU leadership from the First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ihor Kalietnik, who visited the Committee on Taxation and Customs Policy on September 4.
- Leadership of the Parliament has taken decision to visit meetings of committees, - says Ihor Kalietnik. - The purpose is very simple, – to feel the atmosphere on meetings of committees and show MPs that daily confrontations, which occur in the Verkhovna Rada, should be shifted to the committees.
First Deputy Chairman of the VRU has assured that the ways to improve activities of the committees will be exclusively legal.
- Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada will participate in meetings of committees. As far as I know, he was going to be present during the meeting of the Committee on housing service today. Deputy Chairman of the VRU will also participate in meetings of these committees, which he shall coordinate in accordance to allocation of duties. I will definitely attend the other meetings, - Ihor Kalietnik shared his plans. - We may influence activities of committees only by the methods, which are provided in the Law on Committees and Rules of Procedure of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Dialog, communication. Unfortunately, there are no other ways of influence.
On September 4, MPs have suddenly disrupted the schedule of committee meetings
Despite the confidence of the First Deputy Chairman, the improvement of committees in exclusively legal way is barely possible. It is proved by the fact that on September 4, MPs have disrupted the schedule of committee meetings without any notification. During the morning session, they decided to finish activities in the assembly hall at 12 o'clock and continue working in committees till the end of the day. In result, journalists and public men, willing to attend committee meetings were misinformed by the schedule, published on the web-site of the VRU. Having arrived on a scheduled time, they have found the offices empty.
Therefore, Members of Parliament have violated fundamental principles of the work in committees, secured by the article 3 of the Law on Committees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, particularly planned character and openness. It is obvious that the public cannot observe MPs working due to the chaotic conduction of meetings.
Another thing proving that legitimate ways of influence are inefficient is limited access to committee meetings for accredited journalists. This issue was actively discussed at the end of the previous session, when it became known that the guards of parliamentary premises are acting in accordance with out-of-date regulation which requires an additional permission of a committee head to be present on meeting. Press-service of the VRU was asserting that there are no hindrances to accredited journalists.
However, OPORA representatives were convinced of the opposite on September 4. Accredited journalists, which were willing to attend meetings of the committee at the address 3 Lyps'ka St., were prohibited from entering by the guard because they didn't have the VRU press service's prior approval. The guards explained such approach by regulations of ineffective Regulation on the accreditation, and were assuring that they fulfill the instructions. The situation was resolved only after the call from the press service.
We should mention that the access of journalists is limited only in some premises of the committees. For example, accredited journalists are allowed to freely attend on Sadova St.
Therefore, we may talk about selective compliance with legislative acts and necessity to solve the issue on the higher level.