Improving Lawmaking Process in Ukraine

On September 19, a presentation of the Scientific and Practical Commentary to the Law of Ukraine “On Lawmaking” was held, which the USAID RADA: Next Generation Program helped to develop and publish. The event was attended by more than 90 representatives of the Parliament, government, and academic institutions.

Xerxes Sidhwa, Deputy Mission Director of USAID in Ukraine, noted: “The Law “On Lawmaking” aims to standardize legislative practice in order to make the Verkhovna Rada ready to meet the challenges, specifically in the post-war period. The United States fully supports efforts to strengthen and systematize the legislative process in Ukraine. The point is not only efficiency, but also the capacity of the Verkhovna Rada to respond quickly and prudently to changes.”

Ruslan Stefanchuk, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, described the adopted law as a “constitution” of lawmaking: “The next stage is its implementation. The crucial component of the law's implementation involves focusing on legal monitoring of the current legislation, analysis and assessment of the acts already adopted, and thus on the effectiveness and efficiency of the adopted documents.”

Mårten Ehnberg, USAID RADA: Next Generation Program Director, added: “This law is the basis of the legislative process and regulates public consultations, white and green books, and also determines the hierarchy of legal acts. This is an important step to ensure transparency, openness and compliance of legal activities to the standards of modern society. We are sincerely grateful to our partner, the Research Service of the Verkhovna Rada, for organizing this event and for our long-term cooperation, which contributes to the quality of legislative work and the advancement of lawmaking culture in Ukraine.”

The event was organized by the Research Service of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine with the support of the Program RADA: Next Generation. Prior to the event, the Program organized an internship for its employees in the Austrian Parliament, where they were taught, in particular, how to hold public parliamentary events.

Lesia Vaolevska, Head of the Research Service, announced “One of the main tasks of the Research Service is to provide professional learning and qualification improvement for MPs of Ukraine, their assistants, and employees of the VRU Secretariat. We have already compiled the program “ The Law on Lawmaking: Practical Aspects for the Verkhovna Rada” and next month we will start the training, therefore we invite you to join us.”