Video recordings of sessions and accounting of hromada property: what does the law on “transparency” of local councils provide for?
22 February 20:25
The Verkhovna Rada has adopted in the second reading a draft law on ensuring transparency of local self-government. This was announced by MP from the Voice faction Yaroslav Zheleznyak, reports 
“The total number of votes in favour is 262. “The law is very correct, but it is really ridiculous that the Rada has closed its work from journalists and the broadcast …. And demands openness from others. But this is not the case with the authors of the law,”
– said the MP.
We are talking about draft law No. 6401, which, according to its authors, is aimed at expanding opportunities for citizens to participate in local government processes, and for local council members, council leaders and employees of council executive bodies to “effectively exercise their powers.”
The law provides for
- publication of video recordings of sessions and standing committees of local councils, and after the war – live broadcasts;
- keeping a public archive of meeting records for at least 5 years;
- reports at council meetings in Ukrainian only;
- mandatory publication of draft agendas for meetings of permanent commissions and the results of roll-call votes;
- regular publication of information on the property rights of territorial communities in the form of open data. This tool, the MP explains, will allow investors to find interesting objects for investment in the community;
- regular inventory of community property, which is expected to help the council, citizens and businesses to more effectively assess the available community resources and use them more efficiently;
- more “transparency” after the end of martial law.
The explanatory note states that the adoption and implementation of the draft law “On Amendments to the Law of Ukraine ‘On Local Self-Government in Ukraine’ on Ensuring Transparency of Local Self-Government” does not require additional expenditures from the State Budget of Ukraine.
With regard to the organisation of online broadcasts of council sessions, local councils are obliged to broadcast certain local self-government processes in real time, such as competitions for the positions of heads of educational and cultural institutions, etc. Thus, local councils have
the necessary equipment to exercise these powers and do not need to update the technical base to implement the provisions of this law.
The law will gradually come into force in 3 months from the date of its promulgation.
