Verkhovna Rada set to review in the first reading an extensive mobilization bill on Jan. 11
On Jan. 11, the Verkhovna Rada may consider in the first reading an extensive government bill on mobilization, which aims to regulate issues such as conscription age, demobilization, conscription service, and more, according to an NV source.
On the evening of Jan. 10, a meeting of the ruling Servant of the People faction took place, the main topic of which was the mobilization bill and “collecting votes” to ensure its approval in the first reading.
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During this meeting according to European Solidarity MP, Oleksiy Honcharenko, the decision was made to return the government’s bill for further revision.
That account was disputed by the head of the Servant of the People faction, David Arakhamia, who stated that all decisions would be made at the conciliation council with the participation of the military command and the leadership of the Defense Ministry on the morning of Jan. 11.
However, Yaroslav Zheleznyak, an MP from Holos, did not rule out that the bill could be returned to the government for quick revision by Jan. 12. Voting in the first reading would then be for the new version of the law.
Although there are numerous comments on the bill, amendments cannot be made before the first reading, so the Rada must vote for the document in its original form in the first reading.
The exact provisions of the bill at the time of introduction are unknown. The National Security, Defense and Intelligence Committee has not yet made its recommendations for the document. Another meeting of the committee will take place on the morning of Jan. 11, said Honcharenko.
The chair of the profile committee, Oleksandr Zavitnevich, stated in an interview with RBC-Ukraine that, during consideration in the Rada, certain provisions of the bill will likely undergo significant changes.
Main proposals
On Dec. 25, 2023, the government registered a comprehensive bill on the improvement of certain issues of mobilization, accounting, and service in the Verkhovna Rada.
The bill’s main proposals include:
Reducing the conscription age from 27 to 25 years
Abolishing conscription service
Allowing call-up notices to be sent to local military recruitment offices electronically
The possibility of discharge after three years of continuous service during wartime
Introduction of basic military training for up to three months for all citizens aged 18 to 25.
The Committee on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence began considering the bill on Jan. 4, together with the leadership of the Defense Ministry and the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including Commander-in-Chief, Valerii Zaluzhnyi.
An NV source within the committee said that Zaluzhnyi strongly disagreed with some of the bill’s proposals, in particular those pertaining to the involvement of prisoners and convicts in the army.
The profile committee’s secretary, SBU Colonel Roman Kostenko, said that the committee has questions regarding nearly every part of the bill, the text of which is over 70 pages.
Four alternative bills have also been registered in the Rada by MP Honcharenko (European Solidarity), MP Mazurashu (Servant of the People), MPs from the Kit and Liushniak Trust group, and the association of former speaker Dmytro Razumkov.
Ombudsman’s position and committee positions
Shortly after the registration of the bill in the Rada, Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said that some of its provisions restrict the rights of Ukrainians and contradict the Constitution.
On Jan. 8 the Rada’s Anti-Corruption Committee also identified several “corruption risks” in the new bill. The committee’s Chair, Anastasiia Radina (Servant of the People), stated that the document required several revisions, including:
Abandoning the provision that local self-government bodies must “ensure the arrival” of conscripts at TCC
Clearly defining the terms and conditions under which TCC can initiate the inclusion of conscripts in the register of debtors
Removing the right of district and city commissions to make referrals for service, as well as higher-level commissions to grant deferrals from basic military service (not mobilization) at their discretion.
For its part, the Committee on Social Policy recommended revisions to the bill that would a count for alternative projects and proposals from the Social Policy Ministry, as well as develop a separate bill on the release of conscripts.
The European Business Association (EBA) stated that the proposed provisions in the bill may lead to an increase in “envelope salaries,” unofficial employment, an outflow of foreign investments, and worsen conditions for doing business in Ukraine. The EBA sent a letter to the head of the profile committee, Zavitnevich, with proposals and asked to revise the bill.
MP Chernev from the Servant of the People assured that the final version of the bill would be “maximally balanced,” and there will be no unconstitutional norms.
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
