The fall of 2017 should become turnaround time for Ukraine, and the ongoing changes should first of all affect the pension system, which in its current state secures neither fair attitude to pensioners nor the availability of resources to organize retirement benefit payments. This was stated by Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman during a roundtable on Government’s pension reform, sponsored by the USAID.

The "pension" bills package is currently in the Parliament and expected to be voted in September, thereby allowing for raising pensions for 9 million retirees in October, for beginning work on upgrading pensions for retired military personnel and laying the foundation for drafting legislation on the accumulative pension system.

“This autumn can turn into the autumn of opportunities and qualitative changes”, the Head of Government emphasized. “The pension system is unreformed. It is incapable of providing justice, it is rather damaged, it lacks resources and has been producing a deficit for decades. The Government's objective is to frame a fair pension system."

The Prime Minister reminded that the Government's proposals preserve the existing retirement age and cancel the 15-percent taxation of pensions for working seniors.

"We are also to reduce the deficit of the Pension Fund, which today exceeds UAH 140 billion", said Volodymyr Groysman.

Moreover, he explained that a meeting of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Social Policy is due in the coming days with final discussion of reform bills to be held.

"It is crucial that the Parliament adopts the decisions in September. It is vital. The more so it is crucial to ensure the amendments (to the bills) not to destroy the ideology of documents. And aftermath, in October, Ukrainian families having pensioners will see superannuation improves", urged Volodymyr Groysman.