31 July 2014

Yatsenyk's resignation as Prime Minister has not been accepted by the members of the Verkhovna Rada. He has accepted this, and remains as Prime Minister. His resignation came after the break-up of the coalition meant that important budget-related laws were not voted on. With the announcement that he will stay as Prime Minister, voting on these laws did proceed and most of the laws were passed: 

The people’s deputies upheld the following laws in entirety: on ratification of Agreement between Ukraine and Australia on sending Australian personnel to Ukraine in connection with MH17 Malaysia Airlines plane crash; on ratification of Agreement between Ukraine and the Kingdom of the Netherlands on international investigation mission protection; on amendments to the Tax Code of Ukraine and several other legislative acts of Ukraine (re refining certain provisions) and on amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On the State Budget of Ukraine for 2014” (re adjustment of figures). The people’s deputies recommitted for the repeated second reading the bill on amendments to several laws of Ukraine re reforming the management system in the Single Gas Transportation System of Ukraine (second reading). 

The bill on Gas Transportation concern Gazprom and oil/gas development. These laws are being prevented from being passed mainly by leaders (parliamentarians) in the East/Southern regions, namely from the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. This does not concern the rebel Pro-Russian strongholds, but has to do with the interests of Ukrainian oil/gas elites and oligarchs being exercised.


Bill 1187-2 / Ukraine's new Law "On Higher Education", passed on July 1 by Parliament, was signed by President Poroshenko on the 31 July. Ukrainian universities have been granted autonomy in their financial, academic, research matters. According to Mychailo Wynnyckj, University administrators will have to become real managers: some universities will close, but others will thrive: "nostrification" (procedures for recognising foreign diplomas) have now become history; Ukraine now has legislated a European-style 3 cycle system (Bachelor's, Master's, PhD); academic plagiarism and acceptance of plagiarised dissertations will now be punishable by law; student self-government has been empowered, and student entrepreneurship has been facilitated; the powers of the Ministry have been greatly reduced - divided between the Minister and a newly created Agency for Quality Assurance; teaching hours have been greatly reduced to enable research.