Regions says Rada might reconvene on July 31

Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada might reconvene for an extraordinary session during its summer recess on July 31, Ukrayinska Pravda reported yesterday, citing an MP from the majority Party of Regions. The MP said the final decision is up to the faction leader, but that the parliament might wait for a series of bills from the Cabinet of Ministers. The Rada went on break on July 8 amid a deadlock with Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn refusing to sign a controversial law that would introduce “regional languages” in Ukraine (see our news of July 4).

Brad Wells: We expect the Party of Regions to continue pushing to make progress on legislation it is sponsoring, including those forwarded by the cabinet and the language bill. However, a compromise still appears far off with Lytvyn and the opposition – which means that the July 31 date is far from a sure thing. We believe negotiations are continuing behind the scenes, but the deadlock could last all summer.