A proposal to overturn the bill on the National Commission for Energy, Housing and Utilities Services Regulation (NCER) passed by Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada on September 22 was backed only by 90 lawmakers. This allows Rada Speaker Andriy Parubiy to sign the bill and send it to the president for signing.
“Today I sign the bill. I am sure that the president would enact it in coming days and our bill will take effect,” he said.
MP Oleksiy Riabchyn said that his faction – Batkivschyna – would challenge this bill in the Constitutional Court. The remarks concern the formation of the commission.
As reported, the bill passed by the parliament says that commission members by new ones will be replaced in three phases: first three members are to be reshuffled no later than six months from the moment when the law takes effect, two more – no later than 12 months and the rest of the members – no later than 18 months. Some factions demanded the quick rotation of the commission members.
The commission will consist of seven members appointed and dismissed under president’s orders.
According to the document, commission members will be selected by the nomination panel consisting of five members: the president delegates two members, parliament – two members and Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers – one member.
The commission head will be selected by commission members at the closed-door meeting. The head is re-elected once in two years after the approval of the first seven members of the commission.
The commission will be financed using payments by energy and utilities market players to the special fund of the national budget.
