PM says 2016 to be year of management reform in state-owned enterprises as well as implementation of legislation on transparent procurement

The Government managed to launch public tenders and tenders for the appointment of heads of large state-owned companies, "NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy is the exemplary company in reforming the management system. Together with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, we are introducing a system of independent directors in the largest energy company," underlined Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk at a press conference on Tuesday, December 29.

In addition, the Head of Government recalled about the corporatization of Ukrzaliznytsia and ongoing competitions and tenders in order to appoint a new professional management in a number of other state-owned companies.

He stressed that the Government had adopted a new provision on the payment of salaries to employees of state-owned enterprises, "which is tied to the economic efficiency of a state-owned company and gives relatively high levels of salaries for employees of state-owned companies."

Arseniy Yatsenyuk stressed that Parliament had approved a government law on public procurement, "2016 will be the year of the implementation of legislation on transparent procurement, combating corruption and reducing the cost of government procurement thanks to the introduction of electronic tenders, electronic trading, the most transparent system for public companies as to public procurement."

Another task of the Government was to provide funding for anti-corruption bodies – that is National Anti-Corruption Bureau, National Agency for Prevention of Corruption, Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, Security Service of Ukraine, which has the appropriate features to combat corruption, and a number of additional regulatory and law enforcement agencies, which are also fighting corruption.

"The next fiscal year foresees funding for the National Anti-Corruption Bureau in the amount of nearly UAH500 million, for the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office - additional UAH74 million in order to bring into line anticorruption prosecutors’ salaries with their high tasks, objectives and responsibilities in the real fight against corruption," underlined Arseniy Yatsenyuk.