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Lower House Committee offers protection for citizens reporting corruption

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The State Duma Committee for Security and Countering Corruption has approved a draft law offering state protection to those who reveal facts of corruption to law enforcement agencies. The bill will now progress to the first reading in the Duma.The bill, developed by the Labor Ministry and drafted in the Lower House by the government in mid-October this year, offers state protection to those who report corruption to state agencies. It considers crimes in federal, regional or municipal power bodies or in state-run organizations. The exact measures listed in the draft include making sure that the report remains confidential; free legal advice; protection from unlawful sacking or other sanctions at work; and protection from any other infringement of the citizen’s rights. In particular, the bill states that a person reporting facts about corruption can be remanded only after a special commission session with the participation of a local prosecutor. The term of protection is set at two years from the moment of the original report.

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Kathemerini: positive meeting with Nimetz

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The meeting between representatives of Macedonia and Greece with the UN mediator in the name dispute, Matthew Nimetz, scheduled for Dec. 11-12 in Brussels, is a sign of continuity of the positive climate that has been created in the relations between the two countries after change of government in Macedonia, Greek daily Kathimerini reads.The next NATO Summit, to be held on July 11 and 12 in Brussels, is in function of a time frame, which moves to dispute resolution and achieving a mutually acceptable solution. Macedonia hopes that it will finally open the way to becoming a member of the Alliance.Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias has repeatedly stated that the issue will be resolved in the first half of 2018, warning that if this does not happen, there will be major difficulties.The positions expressed by Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov are moderate and linked with the spirit of readiness to compromise. However, there is a big difference from the public statements to the essential acceptance of a different position. And certainly it is not just a matter of name that caused big reactions in FYROM. Even if a mutually acceptable solution is reached, it is necessary to have the readiness to use it, Kathimerini writes.Two countries implement confidence building measures, through small and easy steps, but symbolic and very useful.In this context, the Greek media commented on noticeable curbing of passions regarding the agenda of former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski over Skopje 2014 project.

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EU may refuse to cede Ukraine EUR 600 mln in financial assistance due to the failure of verification of e-declarations

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The European Union may refuse to grant Ukraine EUR 600 million in financial assistance due to the ineffectiveness of verification of electronic declarations, the head of the anti-corruption committee of the Verkhovna Rada, Yehor Sobolev, has said. Now the European Union may refuse Ukraine in assistance worth EUR 600 million, including due to the complete failure to check electronic declarations. I do not put the blame only on you (the National Agency on Corruption Prevention, NACP). The responsibility lies with the entire leadership of the state, including us,” Sobolev said when members of the anti-corruption committee spoke with the heads of the NACP, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) in Kyiv on Wednesday.

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 Iran ready for any US Congress scenario

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TEHRAN – On Tuesday, Kamalvandi, the Spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), who also serves as the Deputy Head of the AEOI for International, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, declared at the Iran-EU’s Second High Level Seminar on International Nuclear Cooperation: Progress and Prospect that “US congress moves are meticulously monitored by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and the AEOI devises the necessary predictions according to its responsibilities”. Kamalvandi stressed the need for the international community to protect the JCPOA, saying that Iran will keep honoring the deal as long as the other parties comply with the obligations in the text and spirit of the nuclear accord. Mr. Kamalvandi highlighted that since the first seminar was held in early 2017 in Brussels, “great results” have been achieved and “good cooperation” has been brokered in four or five areas among nuclear safety, IAEA safeguards, security issues, stable isotopes, nuclear medicine. He also held that the new policies would push US into isolation and articulated that “while the International Atomic Energy Organization has verified and attested Iran’s abidance by the nuclear deal 9 times so far, Iran’s perseverance in complying with the deal is hinged upon other sides’ compliance”, as Mr. Kamalvandi said. “The meeting of today which featured participants from EU, China, and Russia had a good implication that cooperation within the framework of JCPOA is on and the other signatory of the deal should act more wisely”, as Mr. Kamalvandi specified.

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Court will study videos of officials’ interrogations as part of Maidan killings case

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Kyiv’s Pechersky District Court will study behind closed doors the videos of interrogations of high-ranking Ukrainian officials in the process on a motion from the Prosecutor General’s Office to conduct a special pre-trial investigation in criminal proceedings on the suspicion of former President Viktor Yanukovych in the crimes that led to the killings of Maidan activists on February 18-20, 2014, the PGO’s press service has reported.

At a meeting on Thursday, November 16, the court heard the testimony of Zakarpattia Regional Governor Hennadiy Moskal. Then the prosecutor in the case filed a petition to examine behind closed doors other statements of officials contained in 38 volumes of materials, with the goal of not disclosing the secrets of the pre-trial investigation.

Yanukovych’s lawyer, Vitaliy Serdiuk, in turn, said on his Facebook page that in this way the court had closed the possibility for the media and society to further examine the videos of interrogations of MP Serhiy Pashynsky, Interior Minister Arsen Avakov, Deputy Prime Minister Viacheslav Kyrylenko and other witnesses in the “Maidan case.”

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U.S. Senate approves defense budget for Ukraine’s security assistance

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The US Senate approved a bill ‘The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018,’ which includes the permission to allocate $350 million on providing security assistance to Ukraine,” the statement reads.

Thus, the Congress completed the procedure for approval of the document, which now heads to the U.S. president, who is expected to sign it.

The draft law authorizes the delivery of lethal defensive weapons to Ukraine and substantially expands the parameters of U.S. support for Ukraine in the security and defense spheres. Thus, the document includes provisions allowing the use of U.S. defense budget funds for the rehabilitation of wounded Ukrainian servicemen in U.S. medical institutions, the teaching, and training of Ukrainian medical specialists in this area, as well as the strengthening of the capabilities of the country’s air and naval forces.

For the first time, at the legislative level, it is proposed to provide Ukraine with such defensive means as air defense and surface search surveillance radars, naval countermine means, offshore and coastal ships.

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OSCE SG Greminger: Macedonia to focus on implementing ambitious reform agenda

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New window of opportunities are opening which will help Macedonia to focus on implementing the ambitious reform agenda, OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger said Thursday after meeting Prime Minister Zoran Zaev.’I wish to support the future efforts of PM Zaev to realize all reforms in favor of the country’s progress,’ Greminger said.Macedonia, he said, should focus on key spheres, such as the rule of law, media freedom, democratic governance and security sector, he said.Zaev commended OSCE assistance to Macedonia’s progress, saying that all recommendations, including the ones of the European Commission, have been incorporated in the government’s reform plan.Under this plan, Macedonia will work on establishing democratic institutions, independent judiciary, free media. Special attention is being paid to establishing fair, efficient judicial system and advancing the country’s relations with its neighbors, Zaev said.Reaffirming the country’s strategic goals – the EU, NATO membership and economic prosperity – Zaev said the government had been working eagerly to that effect.

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EU recommends Ukraine accelerate implementation of reforms

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The European Union says that the evaluation of Ukrainian reforms shows considerable progress but Ukraine needs to accelerate their implementation to reap full benefits, according to an EU report”. A report produced by the European External Action Service and the European Commission highlights that Ukraine has pursued the implementation of a number of reforms identified in its Association Agenda in 2017, with several significant successes. Progress in other areas has been less forthcoming, with accelerated implementation needed to bring about real change for the Ukrainian people”, the European Commission said in a statement. “Since last year’s report, we have seen a number of long-awaited achievements. Our Association Agreement entered into force, and Ukrainian citizens were granted visa-free travel for short stay visits to the Schengen area. We now expect the implementation of reforms to be accelerated so that Ukrainian citizens can fully reap the benefits of our partnership. Ukraine can count on the European Union’s continued support in order to make this possible”, the statement quoted High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini, as saying.

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Macron’s tag: France is sceptical, but he has the upper hand

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Adrien Taquet, an advertising executive who entered parliament as one of Macron’s novice MPs, and one of the most closest member of the group of Macron from the beginning, has spoken about Macron after six months of Presidence. He has stressed the importance of the reforms that Macron is carrying on with his executive. Among them the most important concerns three legislative changes: “a law to clean up politics including banning MPs from hiring family members, flagship reforms to loosen France’s complex labour code, making it easier to hire and fire […] and controversial anti-terror legislation that allowed Macron to end France’s two-year state of emergency by writing hardline special policing powers into law”. He’s trying now to find a solution to challenge the name that has be given by the opposition to Macron, as the president of the rich.

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Iranian First Vice-President Jahangiri urges EU to resist JCPOA violators

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On Saturday, during the meeting with Phil Hogan, the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, the Iranian First Vice-President, Es’hagh Jahangiri, told him that EU should not bend to the wishes of JCPOA violators. First the Iranian official remarked that: “Economic cooperation between Iran and EU member states dates back to old ages and almost all European giants in the fields of energy,industry, and agriculture have been boldly present in Iran’s market”, highlighting that “till before the implementation of sanctions, the EU was Iran’s number one trade partner so much so that even some EU member states would solely rank atop economic partners of Iran”, as he said. He also reassured the EU Commissioner that the development of relations with the EU is seriously high in Iran and listedthe areas of potential cooperation betweenIran and EU in fields like energy, industry, agriculture, and service. Mr. Jahangiri also underlined that the US propaganda against the JCPOA is the main political barrier for the development of ties between Iran and EU. “Tehran expects EU to confront the US seriously” as he said, adding that the EU did not get intimidated by Trump’s behavior and get more active in implementing JCPOA. The EU Commissioner voiced content with negotiations with Iranian agriculture minister, describing the meeting as positive and constructive.

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