On 12 January, Council of Civic Oversight on implementation of Annual National Program under Ukraine-NATO commission, organized an expert discussion with summarizing proposals for amendments to the Annual National Program for 2022. The consolidated list of proposals was the result of expert discussions and consultations, taking into account the position of the public involved in the discussions. As a result of the discussion, the CCO started collecting signatures under an appeal to the President, which includes a joint list of proposals for the ANP-2022.
The participants of the discussion came to the conclusion that it is necessary to revise the principles and algorithm of formation of the Annual National Programs:
- To form the ANP in accordance with the goals and objectives, and not by interdepartmental coordination;
- Focus on a limited number of institutional reforms, instead of embedding the current activities of ministries and agencies in the ANP;
- To form ANP in a single center and a single group of specialists;
- Involve civil society representatives and experts in the formation and discussion of the ANP;
- Publicly report on the implementation of the ANP.As a result of discussions and consultations, priority proposals were identified that should be included in the draft ANP for 2022, which should be approved by the President of Ukraine after January 31, 2022:- Reform of the Security Service of Ukraine: deprivation of uncharacteristic functions, strengthening the counterintelligence direction, ensuring parliamentary and public control over the activities of special services.
- Reforms to ensure the smooth operating of anti-corruption bodies: ensuring the institutional independence of National anti-corruption bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office.
- Reforms of the judiciary and the Constitutional Court: renewal of the High Council of Justice, restoration of the military justice system, resumption of the work of the High Qualifications Commission of Judges of Ukraine in the new composition, reform of the CCU.
- Defense procurement reforms: bringing the state secret system into NATO standards, ensuring the transparency of defense procurement, and managing defense resources according to the PPBIE system (planning, programming, budgeting, implementation and evaluation).
- Taking urgent energy measures: creating an additional operational stock of fuels, consulting with the NATO Energy Security Center of Excellence, creating stocks of energy resources for the heating season 2022-2023.
- Reform of antimonopoly legislation: ensuring the independence of the Antimonopoly Committee, expanding the powers of the AMCU.Also, taking into account the opinion of the public and the expert community, the Public Oversight Council recommends to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine:
- Conduct a public report on the implementation of the Annual National Program for 2021;
- Consider amending the current Regulations on Annual National Programs under the auspices of the NATO-Ukraine Commission to specify the timing of the ANP approval and to involve the public in the formulation and monitoring of the program realization progress.
Participants of the discussion were: Igor Korzh, Olena Halushka, Mykhailo Zhernakov, Roman Smalyuk, Artur Pereverzyev, Mykhailo Honchar, Agiya Zahrebelska, Andrii Levus, Ostap Kryvdyk, Dmytro Bibik.
It is still possible to include these proposals in the Annual National Program for 2022, as according to the ANP Regulations, the government must submit a draft Annual National Program for the current year by January 31, 2022. Therefore, the CCO initiated the collection of signatures on the President’s appeal with the above proposals.
Council of Civic Oversight on implementation of Annual National Program under Ukraine-NATO commission aims to facilitate the implementation of reforms and measures envisaged by the Annual National Program to bring Ukraine closer to the NATO Membership Action Plan by monitoring regulatory actions, providing expertise and advocacy. The constituent meeting of the CCO took place on November 29, 2021. The CCO included Serhiy Kvit, Ihor Kozak, Mykhailo Honchar, Yosyf Zisels, Volodymyr Ohryzko, Yuriy Butusov, Anton Senenko, Yulia Kuzmenko, Oleksiy Haran, Ihor Koliushko, and Stefan Romaniv.