Media: Ukraine’s negotiations with IMF fall through
According sources in several political parties, the evening negotiations on May 22 between Verkhovna Rada Chairman Andriy Parubiy and the representatives of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Venice Commission concerning the bill on the Anti-Corruption Court did not produce any results, Evropeiska Pravda writes.
The key issue of a veto right for a panel of international experts, which required agreement with the international partners, was also not resolved.
As a result, several members of the Committee on Legal Policy, which was meant to convene and confirm the agreements with the international partners, said that they had not received any messages on the committee’s session or on any decisions following negotiations with the IMF.
However, permanent IMF representative to Ukraine Goesta Ljungman said that negotiations are still underway with the Kyiv authorities regarding the bill’s conformity to the country’s obligations within the EFF (Extended Fund Facility) program, Interfax-Ukraine reports.
“It is very important that the Public Council, comprised of independent experts with extensive and recognized experience in the fight against corruption, be given a decisive role in the validation of whether Supreme Anti-Corruption Court judge candidates have the necessary qualifications to issue sentences in corruption cases,” Ljungman said.
With respect to Ukraine’s progress in the EFF program, Ljungman reiterated that in order to pass the fourth revision, the government needs to change internal gas tariffs to market level and to ensure that the state budget deficit at the end of 2018 will be kept within 2.5% of the GDP, as defined in the program.
On May 21, Giorgi Vashadze, director of the Innovation and Development Foundation said that the law on the Ant-Corruption Court had been agreed on by the Venice Commission, and would soon be agreed on by the IMF.