Ukraine PM says he will propose new Cabinet, pro-business reforms

Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said he’ll propose a new Cabinet of Ministers to parliament in September. “For all the (deregulation) mechanisms to work, serious changes are needed at the central level,” he said in his weekly TV report on Aug. 9. “I will listen to the reports of all ministers and set clear tasks to each minister in the spheres for which they’re responsible.” The new Cabinet will be based on the results of their performance, he said, adding that he will also propose a “new, effective structure of Ukrainian government.”

The head of the State Land Agency will be held responsible for failing to simplify the process of registering property rights, Yatsenyuk said. “Nothing has been done yet in simplifying the registration of private property rights, and that’s the task that was supposed to be done by September,” he said, adding that he will hold the Agency’s head personally responsible. At the same time, the Justice Ministry has succeeded in simplifying the registration of businesses to only 24 hours, Yatsenyuk said. The State Fiscal Service has yet to amend its regulations to simplify business registration, he said, which should occur in September.

Zenon Zawada: A new, effective structure of Ukrainian government is desperately needed, yet it remains to be seen whether Yatsenyuk will follow through on his promise and whether the restructuring will be what’s needed. Simplifying the process of registering business is a step in the right direction, but that can be undermined by well-known difficulties in shutting down business, as well as ongoing corruption. We can’t help but think that these statements have been tailored for his party’s campaign in the October local elections.