Strasbourg, 07 September 2017 CDL-REF(2017)037 Opinion No. 885/ 2017 Engl.Only EUROPEAN COMMISSION FOR DEMOCRACY THROUGH LAW (VENICE COMMISSION) UKRAINE LAW ON THE RULES OF PROCEDURE OF THE VERKHOVNA RADA OF UKRAINE This document will not be distributed at the meeting. Please bring this copy. www.venice.coe.int CDL-REF(2017)037 - 2 - Law of Ukraine On the Rules of Procedure of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Section 1 (The Official Bulletin of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (OBVRU), 2010, No. 14-15, No. 16-17, p.133) {As amended by the Law No. 1952-VI of 09/03/2010, OBVRU, 2010, No. 16-17, p.134} {See official interpretation of the Rules of Procedure in the Constitutional Court Decision No. 11-rp/2010 of 06/04/2010} {As amended by the Laws No. 2157-VI of 27/04/2010, OBVRU, 2010, No. 21, p.223 No. 2600-VI of 08/10/2010, OBVRU, 2011, No. 10, p.64 No. 2704-VI of 18/11/2010, OBVRU, 2011, No. 12, p.84 No. 3614-VI of 07/07/2011, OBVRU, 2012, No. 9, p.63 No. 4162-VI of 09/12/2011, OBVRU, 2012, No. 29, p.335 No. 4308-VI of 11/01/2012, OBVRU, 2012, No. 31, p.396} {On unconstitutionality of certain provisions see the Constitutional Court Decision No. 12- rp/2012 of 30/05/2012} {As amended by the Laws No. 4652-VI of 13/04/2012, OBVRU, 2013, No. 21, p.208 No. 4711-VI of 17/05/2012, OBVRU, 2013, No. 14, p.89 No. 4874-VI of 05/06/2012, OBVRU, 2013, N 17, p.153} {On unconstitutionality of certain provisions see the Constitutional Court Decision No. 15- rp/2012 of 11/07/2012} {As amended by the Laws No. 5029-VI of 03/07/2012, OBVRU, 2013, No. 23, p.218 No. 5463-VI of 16/10/2012, OBVRU, 2014, No. 4, p.61 No. 5474-VI of 06/11/2012, OBVRU, 2013, No. 49, p.687 No. 5520-VI of 06/12/2012, OBVRU, 2014, No. 9, p.92 No. 29-VII of 22/02/2013, OBVRU, 2014, No. 10, p.105 No. 224-VII of 14/05/2013, OBVRU, 2014, No. 11, p.132 No. 245-VII of 16/05/2013, OBVRU, 2014, No. 12, p.178 No. 429-VII of 03/09/2013, OBVRU, 2014, No. 20-21, p.723 - 3 - CDL-REF(2017)037 No. 724-VII of 16/01/2014, OBVRU, 2014, No. 22, p.804, no longer in effect under the Law No. 732-VII of 28/01/2014, OBVRU, 2014, No. 22, p.811 No. 767-VII of 23/02/2014, OBVRU, 2014, No. 17, p.593 No. 769-VII of 23/02/2014, OBVRU, 2014, No. 12, p.190 No. 1170-VII of 27/03/2014, OBVRU, 2014, No. 22, p.816 No. 1235-VII of 06/05/2014, OBVRU, 2014, No. 26, p.902 No. 1599-VII of 22/07/2014, OBVRU, 2014, No. 36, p.1188 No. 1700-VII of 14/10/2014, OBVRU, 2014, No. 49, p.2056 No. 176-VIII of 10/02/2015, OBVRU, 2015, No. 16, p.107 No. 192-VIII of 12/02/2015, OBVRU, 2015, No. 18, No. 19-20, p.132 No. 576-VIII of 02/07/2015, OBVRU, 2015, No. 36, p.360 No. 577-VIII of 02/07/2015, OBVRU, 2015, No. 35, p.341 No. 848-VIII of 26/11/2015, OBVRU, 2016, No. 3, p.25 No. 948-VIII of 28/01/2016, OBVRU, 2016, No. 7, p.63 No. 1540-VIII of 22/09/2016, OBVRU, 2016, No. 51, p.833 No. 1798-VIII of 21/12/2016} {In the text of the Rules of Procedure, under the Law No. 5463-VI of 16/10/2012, the words “Minister of Finance of Ukraine” and “Ministry of Finance of Ukraine” in all grammatical cases have been respectively replaced with the words “a member of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine responsible for the formulation of the state budget policy” and “central executive authority that provides formulation of the state finance policy” in a respective grammatical case} {Amendments ad modifications provided by the Law No. 1798-VIII of 21/12/2016, as regards replacement of the words “Supreme Court of Ukraine” with the words “Supreme Court”, will be introduced upon the commencement of the Supreme Court operation according to the procedure and in the composition set forth by the Law of Ukraine No. 1402-VIII “On the Judicial System and Status of Judges” of June 2, 2016} The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine resolves as follows: 1. That the Rules of Procedure of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (attached) be approved. 2. This Law shall come into force on the day of its publication. President of Ukraine V. YUSHCHENKO Kyiv February 10, 2010 CDL-REF(2017)037 - 4 - No. 1861-VI APPROVED by the Law Of Ukraine of February 10, 2010, No. 1861-VI RULES OF PROCEDURE OF THE VERKHOVNA RADA OF UKRAINE SECTION I. GENERAL PROVISIONS Article 1. Legal Principles of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine’s Work 1. The operating procedures of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (hereinafter the Verkhovna Rada), its bodies and officials, its principles of establishment, organization of activities and dissolution of parliamentary factions (parliamentary groups) of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine shall be regulated by the Constitution of Ukraine, these Rules of Procedure (hereinafter referred to as the Rules), and the Laws of Ukraine On Committees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, On the Status of a People’s Deputy of Ukraine, On Temporary Investigatory Commissions, On Special Temporary Investigatory Commission, and On Temporary Special Commissions of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. {Paragraph 1 of Article 1 as amended by the Laws No. 2600-VI of 08/10/2010, No. 5474-VI of 06/11/2012} 2. The Rules of Procedure of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (hereinafter the Rules) shall establish the procedure for organization and administration of sessions and meetings of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the formation of state authorities, and shall determine the legislative procedure, and procedure for consideration of other matters referred to its competence, and procedures of oversight activities of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Article 2. Venue and Language of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine’s Meetings 1. The Verkhovna Rada shall meet at the premises of the Verkhovna Rada (5 Hrushevskoho St., Kyiv). 2. A majority of the people’s deputies of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (hereafter the people’s deputies) of the elected parliamentary assembly may resolve to meet at another location. In the instances provided for by paragraph 3, Article 83 of the Constitution of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada shall meet to hold an extraordinary session in a venue determined under paragraph 4, Article 11 hereof. 3. The language of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine’s Meetings is defined by the Law of Ukraine ‘On State Language Policy’. {Paragraph 3 of Article 2 as revised by the Law No. 5029-VI of 03/07/2012} {Paragraph 4 of Article 2 deleted under the Law No. 5029-VI of 03/07/2012} Article 3. Openness and Public Access to Verkhovna Rada Sessions 1. Meetings of the Verkhovna Rada shall be open and public, except where specified in the Constitution of Ukraine and these Rules. - 5 - CDL-REF(2017)037 2. Public access to Verkhovna Rada meetings shall be guaranteed by provision of access thereto for any persons, unless otherwise provided by law. The procedure for access to open meetings shall be determined by an order of the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. {Paragraph 2 of Article 3 as revised by the Law No. 1170-VII of 27/03/2014} 3. Mass media representatives and journalists shall be accredited at the Verkhovna Rada for a fixed term or for the entire period of the Verkhovna Rada’s current convocation under the Law of Ukraine On Information, according to the procedure established by the relevant Regulations, as approved by the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Accreditation shall be carried out by a relevant structural subdivision of the Verkhovna Rada Secretariat. The Secretariat of the Verkhovna Rada may provide accredited mass media with materials, which have been distributed to people’s deputies, except for those, which may not be disclosed or made available to the public according to an applicable resolution adopted pursuant to the established procedure. {Paragraph 3 of Article 3 as revised by the Law No. 1170-VII of 27/03/2014} {Paragraph 4 of Article 3 deleted under the Law No. 1170-VII of 27/03/2014} 5. The openness of Verkhovna Rada sessions shall be ensured by TV and radio broadcast, publication of stenographic reports of the parliamentary sessions, and publication of resolutions of the Verkhovna Rada in the Official Bulletin of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Holos Ukrainy newspaper and in other publications of the Verkhovna Rada. The schedule, frequency and form of broadcasting and the extent of material published shall be determined by these Rules and the individual resolutions of the Verkhovna Rada. Upon request, the Verkhovna Rada shall provide information under the Law of Ukraine On Access to Public Information. Review of and responses to requests for information shall be provided by the Verkhovna Rada’s Secretariat. {Paragraph 5 of Article 3 appended with a second paragraph under the Law No. 1170-VII of 27/03/2014} 6. The following events shall be broadcast live on radio and television in their full capacity or relevant records shall be broadcast in evening hours: 1) the oaths of the people’s deputies; 2) opening of Verkhovna Rada sessions; 3) consideration of organizational matters of the first session of a newly convened Verkhovna Rada; 4) election and recall of the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, the First Deputy and the Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada; 5) discussing the matter of granting consent to appointment of the Prime Minister of Ukraine by the President of Ukraine; {Sub-paragraph 5, paragraph 6 of Article 3 as revised by the Law No.