Venice Commission recommends Ukraine postpone anti-oligarchy law

Venice Commission recommends Ukraine postpone anti-oligarchy law

The European Commission for Democracy through Law recommends that Ukraine postpone the implementation of the Law on Oligarchs until the war is over - Ukrainian Justice Minister Denis Maliuska following the Commission's session.

On 5 November 2021, Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the Law on Oligarchs. According to the law, an oligarch is a person who has significant economic and political weight in public life and influences the media.

Implementation of the Law on Oligarchs, in accordance with the opinion of the Venice Commission, is one of the conditions for the start of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU.

In early March 2023, Denys Maliuska said that Ukraine was fully prepared to implement the Law but lacked the conclusions of the Venice Commission.

The media reported that the Commission had provided the Ukrainian government with its conclusions unofficially and criticised the law for being politicised - the "register of oligarchs" was supposed to be compiled by the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, chaired by the President. This could have been an instrument of political pressure on opponents.

The official announcement of the conclusions was postponed until June. On June 9, the Commission met and recommended that the implementation of the law be postponed until the war was over.

"The fact is that the war is significantly changing the balance of power in Ukraine, significantly reducing the influence of the oligarchs (this includes both the destruction of their businesses and the peculiarities of the functioning of public authorities in war conditions). It is extremely difficult to properly assess the impact of the Law on the political and legal system," said the Minister of Justice of Ukraine.

Photo: lexinform.com.ua