MPs prefer to rest rather than work in committees

According to the calendar plan of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, MPs are supposed to work in committees, commissions, and factions on May 7 and 8. This period is preparatory to plenary sittings, which are planned for May 14-17. However, the schedule of Parliamentary Committees of the Verkhovna Rada, where agenda of meetings is usually published, contains no information about activities of MPs in Committees on May 7 and 8.

Civil Network OPORA decided to check whether MPs are working in Committees and why they didn't publish their agenda. Predictability of parliamentary procedures – is one of parliamentary standards, which provides the correspondence of declared plans and virtual activities of MPs. The Law of Ukraine on Committees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine provides that their activities are based on planning principles. Therefore, failure to conduct meetings on specially designated days is contradictory to the effective legislation.

According to the Article 9 of the Law on Committees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Committees shall inform the public about their activities on the site of the Verkhovna Rada, in Internet, in the Holos Ukrainy newspaper, and other media. However, these data weren't published either on official web pages of committees in Internet, or in the Holos Ukrainy newspaper. Finally, OPORA asked MPs and employees in committee secretariats to provide the corresponding information, which have confirmed, that meetings are not being held, and most of MPs continue celebrating.

It's not the first time when MPs are violating the VR agenda. For example, only 3 of 29 VR Committees held their meeting during April 22-26.