Reforms in Progress: 6 – 10 of July

UCMC press center

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  1. Ukraine’s new police service was launched in Kyiv. With 2000 new policemen, all under age of 35, on the streets of Kyiv, this is the first visible reform in Ukraine that covers changes in legislation (new laws on national police), institutional changes and providing of new service. The full nationwide deployment of new police will take up to 2 years.
  2. One hundred centers for free legal aid have started their operations in Ukraine on July 1st, 2015. These centers provide free legal aid for socially vulnerable populations in civil and administrative cases. Apart from ensuring a basic human right – access to justice – these centers are extremely important as a support tool for people in spheres where the government is changing its policies, like subsidies for gas, pensions and other social benefits. The system of free legal aid should also help in the course of the introduction of the decentralization of powers, since via the centers people can learn which institutions to address that are relevant in each particular case.
  3. The Ministry of Education created a core educational institution – The Institute for the Modernization of Education Content. The institute is responsible for the national educational curriculum, for training and learning methodology as well as for setting managerial standards in education. The institute was set up according to the best international practices of education and will help to transform the Ukrainian education.
  4. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has simplified and improved the work of Ukrainian seaports. During its session on 7th of July 2015, the Cabinet adopted four regulations dealing with logistics, control and cost of services for seaports in Ukraine. One of the regulations is aimed at fixing the problem of the environmental control of ballast water. This problem has been raised for quite a long time by leading business organizations in Ukraine – ACC and EBA. The publication of regulations is expected next week.
  5. The institutional capacity and independence of the National Bank of Ukraine have been strengthened. The President has signed two laws which lift a number of limitations which had been imposed on the National Bank earlier, and which also provide for a new and improved organizational structure of the National Bank. These laws are part of a broader program of banking sector reform and are in line with the program of cooperation with IMF.