Rowdy Rada Approves Four WTO Laws.

The Rada approved four of 14 laws aimed at helping Ukraine join the WTO at its session yesterday. The opposition led by the Communist Party tried to sabotage the session, by blaring sirens and damaging equipment. The raucous atmosphere made for quite a heated session and at one point a brawl broke out between several deputies. Despite the chaos, the Parliament passed some key laws on intellectual property rights, the activity of foreign auditing firms, automotive imports, and the automotive industry. Three other WTO laws were also given first approval, including a law permitting the establishment of foreign bank offices in Ukraine. Concorde Capital:  Although the Parliament succeeded in approving the first batch of WTO laws, it is not clear whether they will manage to pass all 14 laws before the summer recess. Passing the intellectual property law will help Ukraine in its quest to gain market economy status from the US, while the law on automotive industry development will help domestic producers, including AvtoZAZ (ZAZA).