Experts of the Centre of Policy and Legal Reform have prepared a draft Deoligarchization Strategy and studied the problems of bringing to disciplinary responsibility for corruption. The developed documents were presented for discussion at the event “How to reduce the negative impact of oligarchs on the state-building processes: strategic vision and disciplinary liability for corruption”.

The issues raised during the discussion and proposed by the organizers for discussion are, in fact, quite urgent. According to Forbes, Ukrainian oligarchs manage not only to restore resources but also to increase them, and the monopolization of markets by oligarchs is listed as one of the top three obstacles to investment in Ukraine’s economy according to the Ukraine Facility 2024-2027 Plan. Thus, the threat of excessive influence of oligarchs on social, economic and political life in Ukraine during the war and in the post-war period remains. Yulia Kyrychenko, member of the CPLR Board, co-chair of the Reanimation Package of Reforms Coalition, noted the reduction of oligarchs’ influence and their obstruction of state-building processes.

“We are not saying that there should be no oligarchs in Ukraine. They exist in different countries. However, we need to limit the negative influence of oligarchs on the state processes in Ukraine. Without this, we will not be able to become a full-fledged part of the European Union,” emphasized Ms. Kyrychenko during the presentation of the draft de-oligarchization strategy.

CPLR Board Member Mykola Khavroniuk touched upon the Law “On Prevention of Threats to National Security Associated with the Excessive Influence of Persons with Significant Economic or Political Weight in Public Life (Oligarchs)” adopted by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in September 2021. Unlike the draft de-oligarchization strategy, this law does not offer a systematic approach to solving this problem, taking into account the recommendations of the Venice Commission.

“In its conclusion of June 9-10, 2023, the Venice Commission called this law a “declarative act” and pointed out that anti-oligarchic measures cannot and should not be limited to formal procedures for recognizing a person as an oligarch, but should be comprehensive and systemic. Therefore, it is necessary to develop and adopt comprehensive amendments to the laws in the political, financial, economic, antimonopoly, anti-corruption, information, judicial and other spheres aimed at reducing the economic and political weight of oligarchs in the public life of the country,” noted Mykola Khavroniuk. Therefore, the CPLR experts also developed amendments to the relevant Law of Ukraine.