The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine launches the work of a new body - the Coordination Council on the Implementation of Reforms in the Fuel and Energy Sector, which comprises heads of line ministries and departments, as well as parliamentarians, diplomats and representatives of international financial organizations. This was announced by Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman. The Head of Government chairs the Coordination Council and held its first meeting.

"In due time, we agreed that it is necessary to create a single platform for elaborating solutions in the energy sector. The Government set up a Coordination Council which includes all stakeholders. The activity of such a platform is aimed to effectively reform the energy sector. Here (at the meeting of the Coordination Council), each side voices the opinion and we adopt a collective decision," said Volodymyr Groysman. "We will encourage our partners into ф decision-making process. The work of such a platform will contribute to finding a quick solution to ensure greater transparency for progress."

The participants of the meeting noted that the establishment of the new body is a good step on the way of implementation of energy reforms, since all sides of the process gather at one table, thereby obtaining an opportunity to tackle different problems.

"At these meetings, we must raise strategic issues. Therefore, this Council is a high-level group in nature when we can voice the problem and offer different solutions. To achieve the goal we must be unbiased in assessing the situation," stressed the Prime Minister.

According to the Prime Minister, the current year can become a breakthrough in developing the gas and electricity markets, improving the work of the National Energy and Utilities Regulatory Commission of Ukraine, reforming Naftogaz of Ukraine and conducting efficient replacement of imported fuels. There is a legal basis aimed at stepping up the work. There exist also strategic guidelines aimed at stimulating market development and excluding support for monopolies.

"Our target is to identify the problem and find a solution to it. I propose to dedicate the next meeting to the issue of unbundling - our future steps are monetization of subsidies and setting tariff for gas. The next meeting can take place within three weeks", the Prime Minister underscored.

Background

The Government established the Coordination Council on the Implementation of Reforms in the Fuel and Energy Sector in mid-April of the current year. The Council coordinates the implementation of reforms in the electricity, nuclear industry, coal industry, peat extraction, oil and gas industry, and oil and gas processing sectors. The Coordination Council is responsible for the development of strategic decisions in the fuel and energy complex, elaboration of recommendations and proposals for the formulation and implementation of state policy in the fuel and energy complex, identification of ways, mechanisms and means of solving problems arising during the implementation of reforms in fuel and energy complex, improvement of the regulatory framework on fuel and energy complex. The Council also conducts an analysis of developments and causes of problems arising in the course of the implementation of reforms in the fuel and energy sector.