07/03/2015 Ukraine: Daily Highlights - Parliamentary coalition is about to collapse

Parliamentary coalition is about to collapse

07.03.2015 Daily Highlights by the Digests & Analytics Ukraine News Agency

Topics from Media and Social Networks

• Parliamentary coalition is about to collapse.
• MPs are asking to withdraw their votes for the controversial law on restructuring of loans in foreign currency.
• March of the volunteer battalions in the city center of Kyiv.

Key Events In Ukraine

• President Poroshenko met with the new head of the Security Service of Ukraine Hrytsak and outlined the main tasks for the service which are strengthening the counterintelligence, the fight against corruption, smuggling, terrorism, separatism, and their financing by the aggressor and associated groups of oligarchs.
• Deputies are trying to reverse the adoption of the controversial law on restructuring of loans in the foreign currency. Some parliamentarians want to recall their votes even though it is not stipulated in the regulations of the Verkhovna Rada. Draft bill to cancel the law was registered. Minister of Economic Development Abromavicius said that the law contradicts the government program agreed with the IMF.
• Ukrainian grain exports for 2014/15 financial year reached a record level of 34.8 million tonnes, nearly 2.5 million tons more than in the previous year.
• State Financial Monitoring Service reported that accounts of 44 non-resident companies associated with the "family" of former President Yanukovych with $1.4 billion accumulated which were used for fictitious investments in the Ukrainian economy were arrested according to the court decision.
• The official rate of hryvnia has not changed: 21.02 UAH/USD (+0.01 UAH), 23.32 UAH/EUR, 3.78 UAH/RUR 10.

Kyiv

• Soldiers of volunteer battalions and their supporters marched through the center of Kiev demanding the abolition of the Minsk agreement, liberation of occupied territories, carrying out lustration in the General Staff and other law enforcement agencies

Ukraine at War

• The situation in the war zone over the past day was relatively calm, militants attacks on Schastya were fought off. Shelling of Donetsk surroundings continued. Observers confirmed the withdrawal of fighters from Shirokine. However more than 80 thousand. Russian troops and terrorists are concentrated close to the border and continue creating percussion groups and conduct active training.
• OSCE regular report documented the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the occupied Donbass, long queues of vehicles on the demarcation line, the lack of an official truck traffic through checkpoints except trucks with humanitarian aid.
• NSDC Secretary Turchynov announced the final stage of construction of defensive structures in the zone of military operations in the Donbass.

Ukraine and the World

• EP President Schulz said about the disruption of the negotiations on gas supplies by Russian delegation and the need to continue them to prevent the repeating of disruptions in gas supply to Europe.
• "Gazprom" has sent "Ukrtransgaz" a request to increase the volume of transit through Ukrainian territory.
• Dutch Prime Minister confirmed that the country is officially supporting the tribunal to investigate the accident with flight MH-17 shot down over the Donbas in July 2014.
• Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the European Parliament have signed a memorandum of understanding. Ukraine will be supported in the conduction of the reform and development programs, priority within the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU.
• NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg believes that the assessment of the situation with world security must be based on real actions of Russian President Putin, rather than guessing about his intentions. Therefore, the Alliance conduct the largest strengthen of its combat capability since the Cold War.
• Thousands of demonstrations held a rally on the eve of the referendum about accepting of international creditors requirement,scheduled for July 5, in Athens.

The Trends

• The situation in the Verkhovna Rada demonstrates that parliamentary coalition is on the brink of collapse - political parties from it vote differently on many essential laws. Media publish information about resignation of the head of the largest pro-presidential faction Lutsenko; the second largest faction - the "People Front" also changed its head. The deputies could not adopt any law during the session the day.