Unit summary
30.6% of draft laws were adopted after the first reading, 69.4% – after the second reading, and the third reading was not applied.
Only 5 out of 108 laws adopted in the 12th session were registered before 24 February 2022, indicating the dominance of the martial law agenda.
Main terms of passage of draft laws (average values):
- from registration to adoption in the first reading and in entirety – 71 days;
- between the first reading and adoption in the second reading and in entirety – 156 days;
- from registration to adoption in the second reading and in entirety – 335 days.
During the sessions of the parliament in the period of martial law, many draft laws of the martial law agenda are pending. As a result, the speed of consideration of draft laws registered after 24 February 2022 has reached the level of 2021. Now, the 9th Ukrainian parliament is considering them for the longest time: an average of 335 days pass from registration to adoption of a draft law in the second reading and in its entirety.
Number of laws by readings:
- 33 – adopted in their entirety after the first reading (30.6%);
- 75 – adopted in their entirety after the second reading (69.4%);
- 0 – adopted in their entirety after the third reading (0%).
The 12th session continued the standard distribution of adopted laws by readings. More than two-thirds of laws were adopted in the second reading and in their entirety, and 30.6% in the first reading and in their entirety. The situation was also similar during sessions 5, 6, 8, 10 and 11. The trend of not using the third reading has not changed –no draft law has passed three readings According to Article 102(1) of the Rules of Procedure, “draft laws shall be considered by the Verkhovna Rada, as a rule, according to the procedure of three readings. . Two readings allow for better preparation of the draft law and correction of shortcomings and errors discovered during the first reading. However, two readings also require more time.
Deadlines for submitting opinions of the main committees for the first reading
When reviewing the information on committees, it should be borne in mind that this monitoring report is based on the number of opinions of the main committees. These methods are used due to the availability of data. Specifically, the Verkhovna Rada website constantly provides information on the opinions of the main committees, which are regularly updated and cover all opinions of the main committees. However, the committees perform many other functions and tasks in addition to providing opinions of the main committees. Three committees Budget Committee, Committee on Anti-Corruption Policy and Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into the European Union. are required to provide mandatory opinions on all draft laws. As auxiliary committees, committees may be tasked with preparing opinions. Committees consider and make decisions within the framework of the oversight function. They consider letters and appeals, and hold conferences and round tables. However, all this information is published only in fragments, so it cannot be used for a regular monitoring format. However, this information is used if it is available in a form acceptable for systemic monitoring. These limitations should be considered when reviewing the information below, which is based on the opinions of the main committees.
The timing of the main committees’ opinions on draft laws The data presented relate only to cases where opinions were provided. The time between the date of draft law registration and the date of submission of the first opinion by the main committee, including opinions on inclusion in the agenda, was calculated. This type of opinion was taken into account, as the committee often considers draft laws on their merits during preliminary processing. allows for assessing several important indicators. In terms of committees, the time from registration to the submission of the first opinion by the committee characterises the workload of the committee and enables forecasting, in general terms, the speed of preliminary processing of a certain draft law depending on its main committee. In terms of initiators, the time of submitting opinions characterises the commitment of committee members to a particular initiator and enhances the predictive capabilities of the speed of preliminary processing. Finally, the time required to receive the main committee’s first opinion, together with the data on the overall passage of draft laws, allows for a better understanding of the dynamics of the passage of draft laws.
On average, the committees provided their opinions for the first reading in 114 days, and half of all opinions were provided in 36 days.
The speed of issuing opinions varies greatly from committee to committee. The difference in some cases is 60-fold. If we compare the performance of the 12th session with that of the previous 11th session, the time for issuing the first opinion decreased for two-thirds of the committees and increased for about one-third. It was an increase of 1–2 months in most cases.
In general, the workload and the speed of issuing opinions are mostly correlated. However, this is not the case sometimes. Despite the relatively large number of opinions submitted, the Committee on Legal Policy, the Committee on Finance and the Committee on National Security were relatively quick to provide their first conclusions on draft laws. The Committee on Transport and Infrastructure, with a moderate number of opinions, took a relatively long time to provide its first opinions on draft laws.
| Submitting entity | Average number of days | Median* number of days |
| Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine | 111 | 31 |
| MPs of Ukraine | 118 | 41 |
| President of Ukraine | 85 | 7 |
*Recall that the median is the value that divides all the data in half, meaning that half of all observations will be less than the median, and half will be more than the median.
Compared to the 11th session, the average number of days for the President to provide the first committee opinion for the first reading more than doubled. The average time for submitting an opinion decreased for MPs and the Cabinet of Ministers. For the fourth session in a row, the average time for providing first opinions on government draft laws is shorter than the average time for providing first opinions on MPs’ draft laws. At the same time, the median time for the first committee to provide an opinion on presidential draft laws is significantly shorter than the median time for the first opinion on government and MPs’ draft laws. Despite the increase, the President’s draft laws, receive the first committee opinions the fastest as usual, with half of such draft laws receiving their first committee opinion in less than a week.
During the 12th session, the majority of factions’ draft laws received opinions twice as fast as in the 11th session on average, at about the same level as in the 10th session. However, the speed of providing first opinions, on the contrary, increased It should be borne in mind that indicators were calculated on the basis of less than five opinions for the Restoration of Ukraine and Dovira groups, as well as the Holos and Opposition Platform – For Life factions, and for non-factional MPs. They are highlighted in grey in the table. Therefore, fast or slow receipt of opinions on their draft laws is more a coincidence than a system. It is 5 or more opinions in other factions and groups. for the draft laws initiated by MPs from the Fatherland faction and the Dovira group.
| Factional affiliation of the initiator | Average number of days | Median number of days |
| OPFL | 1350 | 1350 |
| Dovira | 550 | 550 |
| Fatherland | 278 | 35 |
| Government | 111 | 31 |
| Holos | 88 | 60 |
| Servant of the People | 88 | 38 |
| President | 85 | 7 |
| European Solidarity | 72 | 79 |
| Restoration of Ukraine | 58 | 58 |
| Non-factional | 7 | 10 |
Annex 1 contains the top 5 longest draft laws in terms of the number of days from registration to the first opinion of the main committee, as well as the top 5 fastest draft laws.
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Annex 1. Time from registration to the first opinion of the main committee
Top 5 draft laws with the longest time from registration to the first opinion of the main committee.
Draft laws Days from registration to the first opinion of the main committee Draft Law on Amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On the Judiciary and the Status of Judges” to Improve the Procedure for Forming the Jury List No. 2709-1 of 16 January 2020 1726 Draft Law on the National Commission for State Regulation of Transport No. 3927 of 22 July 2020 1563 Draft Law on Measures to Streamline the System of Calculating the Subsistence Level, Social Benefits, Cash Payments and Penalties, and Fees for the Provision of Administrative Services (Administrative Fee) No. 5045 of 8 February 2021 1367 Draft Law on Measures to Streamline the System of Calculating the Subsistence Level, Social Benefits, Cash Payments and Penalties, and Fees for the Provision of Administrative Services (Administrative Fee) No. 5045-1 of 25 February 2021 1350 Draft Law on Amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On Transport” No. 6514 of 13 January 2022 1021
Deadlines for submitting opinions of the main committees for the second reading
The speed at which committee opinions are submitted for the second reading The number of days between the date the draft law was adopted in the first reading and the date the committee submitted its first opinion for the second reading was calculated (although there may be several opinions). is less indicative due to the small number of such opinions per committee. These data Due to the small number of opinions for the second reading, only the average is used here. Only 7 committees submitted 5 or more opinions for the second reading in the 12th session. should be treated with caution, but they are also worthy of attention. 10 out of 18 Another 5 committees did not provide any opinion for the second reading. committees (i.e., more than half) increased (compared to the previous 11th session) the time it took them to provide opinions for the second reading on average, while another third reduced this time.
The average time from the adoption of the draft law in the first reading to the provision of the opinion for the second reading was 117 days, slightly less than in the 11th session. Half of all opinions were provided in less than 76 days, significantly longer than in the 11th session. In other words, the speed at which the committee processes draft laws for the second reading is not very different from the speed at which they are processed for the first reading.
| Initiator | Average number of days from the first reading to the submission of the first opinion of the main committee for the second reading |
| Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine | 147 |
| MPs of Ukraine | 109 |
| President of Ukraine* | 45 |
*During the 12th session, the committees provided only three opinions on draft laws of the President of Ukraine for the second reading. Therefore, this entity is highlighted in grey in the table.
The speed of providing the first committee opinion for the second reading shows that the average time for providing opinions on governmental draft laws increased (by 21 days), while the average time for MPs’ draft laws decreased (by 15 days). The time it took for members of the Servant of the People faction to submit the first committee opinion for the second reading also decreased (by 31 days).
| Affiliation of the initiator* | Average number of days |
| Non-factional | 408 |
| Government | 147 |
| Servant of the People | 99 |
| European Solidarity | 98 |
| Holos | 59 |
| President of Ukraine | 45 |
*It should be noted that a large number of opinions (more than 5) were submitted only on draft laws of the government and members of the Servant of the People faction. For the President and other factions and groups, there were less than 5 draft laws for which opinions were submitted. They are highlighted in grey in the table. For these categories, this value can be explained by coincidence.
Annex 2 contains the 5 longest draft laws in terms of the number of days from the first reading to the provision of the first opinion of the main committee for the second reading, as well as the 5 fastest draft laws.
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Annex 2. Time from adoption in the first reading to submission of the first opinion of the main committee for the second reading
List of top 5 draft laws with the shortest time from adoption in the first reading to submission of the first opinion of the main committee for the second reading.
Draft laws Days from the first reading to the submission of the first opinion of the main committee for the second reading Draft Law on Peculiarities of Selling State-Owned Stakes in the Authorised Capital of Banks No. 11474 of 12 August 2024 11 Draft Law on Amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On the State Budget of Ukraine for 2024” on Financial Support of the Security and Defence Sector No. 11417 of 18 July 2024 13 Draft law on Amendments to the Criminal Code of Ukraine, the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine and Other Legislative Acts of Ukraine on Deprivation of State Awards for Promotion or Propaganda of an Aggressor State or Other Illegal Actions Against Ukraine No. 11410 of 16 July 2024 13 Draft Law on Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine on Military Service during Mobilisation by Persons Under 25 No. 11379-д of 6 August 2024 15 Draft Law on Amendments to the Criminal Code of Ukraine and the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine on Improving the Regulation of Plea Agreements in Criminal Proceedings on Corruption and Corruption-Related Criminal Offences No. 12039 of 17 September 2024 16 List of top 5 draft laws with the longest time from the first reading to submission of the first opinion of the main committee for the second reading.
Draft laws Days from the first reading to the submission of the first opinion of the main committee for the second reading Draft Law on the Legal Regime of Property of All-Union Public Associations (Organisations) of the Former USSR No. 6420 of 10 December 2021 783 Draft Law on Peculiarities of Regulation of Entrepreneurship of Certain Types of Legal Entities and Their Associations in the Transition Period No. 6013 of 9 September 2021 652 Draft Law on State Regulation of Plant Protection No. 8340 of 9 January 2023 526 Draft Law on Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts Due to the Adoption of the Law of Ukraine “On Administrative Procedure” No. 10161 of 18 October 2023 273 Draft Law on Amendments to the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offences to Strengthen Liability for the Use of Public Funds by Officials Managing and Receiving Funds of State and Local Budgets, State and Municipal Companies No. 10255 of 13 November 2023 252
Time from registration of laws to their adoption
The average time for adopting laws, regardless of the reading, is 254 days, with a median of 129 days (i.e., half of draft laws were adopted in more than 129 days and half in a shorter period of time).
Time from registration to adoption in the first reading and in the entirety
The time required to pass 70 per cent of the draft laws in their entirety in the first reading slightly decreased. At the same time, the time required for the most time-consuming draft laws to be adopted increased. As a result, the median time decreased, but the average time increased compared to the 11th session.
All (except for one) draft laws adopted in the first reading and in their entirety were registered after May 2024. The exception is 1 draft law registered in November 2022. This trend is generally in line with the standard logic of using the first reading as a fast track for adopting the most urgent draft laws.
The experimental indicator “growth rate” increased to about two days, which means that the time required to pass a draft law in its entirety and in the first reading has almost linearly increased. The growth rate is calculated as the average difference in deciles between the number of days from registration to adoption for the 11th and 10th sessions and the number of days from registration to adoption for the 12th and 11th sessions In other words, the pace describes the rate of increase in the time for adoption. For example, imagine that the average time for passing draft laws increased by 10 days between the first and second sessions, while the increase was 7 days between the second and third sessions. Then the indicator, which is called the pace here, would be -3 days, meaning that the growth slowed down. If the increase between the 2nd and 3rd sessions was 15 days, the pace would be five days, which would mean that the growth accelerated. .
| Initiating entity | Average number of days | Median number of days |
| Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine | 50 | 30 |
| MPs of Ukraine | 28 (19 for the Servant of the People faction) | 18 (18 for the Servant of the People faction) |
| President of Ukraine | 120 | 22 |
10 governmental, 10 parliamentary and 13 presidential draft laws were adopted in the first reading and in their entirety. Not all governmental draft laws were ratifications only (as in the 9th and 10th sessions); some ordinary laws were added to them during the 12th session. At the same time, all presidential draft laws adopted in the first reading and in their entirety were decrees and ratifications.
The time it took for governmental draft laws to pass from registration to adoption in the first reading and in their entirety decreased, demonstrating the highest speed of passage in the 4th–12th sessions of the 9th convocation. Compared to the 11th session, the average time for passing parliamentary draft laws decreased significantly (by 23 days) and is also the fastest in the 4th–12th sessions of the 9th convocation.
It is interesting to note that the average term for presidential draft laws increased, while the median term decreased by 9 days. This means that some presidential draft laws passed faster from registration to adoption in the first reading and in their entirety, but the average time increased due to the consideration of a certain number of old draft laws. Overall, the average passage time for presidential initiatives is one of the highest for the 4th-12th sessions of the 9th convocation. However, all these initiatives are decrees and ratifications.
Annex 3 contains the 5 longest draft laws in terms of the number of days from registration to adoption in the first reading and in their entirety, as well as the 5 fastest draft laws.
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Annex 3. Time from registration of the draft law to its adoption in the first reading and in its entirety
List of top 6 draft laws with the shortest time from registration of the draft law to its adoption in the first reading and in its entirety.
Draft laws adopted in the first reading and in their entirety Days from registration of the draft law to its adoption in the first reading and in its entirety Draft Law on Approving the Decree of the President of Ukraine “On Extending the Period of General Mobilisation” No. 12405 of 14 January 2025 1 Draft Law on Approving the Decree of the President of Ukraine “On Extending the Period of Martial Law in Ukraine” No. 12404 of 14 January 2025 1 Draft Law on the Ratification of the Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union on the Implementation of the Credit Cooperation Mechanism for Ukraine No. 0295 of 4 December 2024 1 Draft Law on Amendments to Article 77 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine on the Application of Confiscation of Property in Case of Release from Serving a Basic Sentence with Probation No.
12243-1 of 4 December 20241 Draft Law on Approving the Decree of the President of Ukraine “On Extending the Period of General Mobilisation” No. 12152 of 28 October 2024 1 Draft Law on Approving the Decree of the President of Ukraine “On Extending the Period of Martial Law in Ukraine” No. 12151 of 28 October 2024 1 List of top 5 draft laws with the longest time from registration of the draft law to its adoption in the first reading and in its entirety.
Draft laws adopted in the first reading and in their entirety Days from registration of the draft law to its adoption in the first reading and in its entirety Draft Law on Ukraine’s Accession to the Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing No. 0178 of 23 November 2022 729 Draft Law on Ratification of the Protocol of Amendment to the Charter of the Organisation for Democracy and Economic Development – GUAM No. 0273 of 16 May 2024 203 Draft Law on Ratification of the Amendments to the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters No. 0272 of 16 May 2024 203 Draft Law on Ratification of the Protocol to the Agreement on the International Occasional Carriage of Passengers by Coach and Bus (INTERBUS Agreement) regarding the International Regular and Special Regular Carriage of Passengers by Coach and Bus No. 0280 of 18 June 2024 170 Draft Law on Ratification of the Agreement on Friendship and Cooperation between Ukraine and the Republic of Albania No. 0279 of 17 June 2024 157
Time from registration to adoption in the second reading and in entirety
During the 12th session, the passage time of draft laws from registration to adoption in the second reading and in their entirety continued to increase. On average, the time from registration to adoption in the second reading and in entirety increased by 33 days compared to the 11th session and 139 days compared to the 10th session. The median value increased by 55 days compared to the 11th session. Not all draft laws increased in terms of the timeframe. The timeframe for 30% of the fastest draft laws decreased by 5–13 days (compared to the 11th session). For the remaining 70% of draft laws, the time from registration to adoption in the second reading and in their entirety increased by up to 124 days in some cases. Only 5 out of 75 (7%) draft laws adopted in the second reading and in their entirety were registered by 24 February 2022. This means that during the 12th session, the laws that were in line with the martial law agenda were mostly adopted. Such indicators show that during the 6 sessions of martial law, the Verkhovna Rada actually developed a new agenda with a new volume of draft laws, but during the three years of martial law, so many of these draft laws have been pending that now the Ukrainian parliament is considering them for the longest time of the entire 9th convocation [on average].
The growth rate of the time from registration to adoption in the second reading and in its entirety decreased and amounted to -75 days. In other words, the timeframe for adopting draft laws has increased, but the growth rate has dropped significantly.
| Initiating entity | Average number of days | Median number of days |
| Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine | 346 | 324 |
| MPs of Ukraine | 344 (346 for the Servant of the People faction) | 243 (258 for the Servant of the People faction) |
| President of Ukraine* | 107 | 127 |
*The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted only 3 presidential draft laws in the second reading and in their entirety during the 12th session. Therefore, this entity is highlighted in grey in the table.
The governmental draft laws hardly changed (compared to the 11th session) the average time from registration to adoption in the second reading and in entirety, and they still go through this process the slowest among all subjects of legislative initiative. At the same time, MPs’ draft laws were adopted, on average, 60 days slower than in the 11th session. As a result, the average time for the adoption of governmental and MPs’ draft laws in the second reading and in their entirety has equalised and is now almost a year.
Three presidential draft laws were adopted in the second reading during the 12th session. The time from registration to adoption in the second reading during this session was one of the shortest for the 9th convocation.
Annex 4 contains the 5 longest draft laws in terms of the number of days from registration to adoption in the second reading and in their entirety, as well as the 5 fastest draft laws.
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Annex 4. Time from registration of the draft law to its adoption in the second reading and in its entirety
List of top 5 draft laws with the shortest time from registration of the draft law to its adoption in the second reading and in its entirety.
Draft laws adopted in the second reading and in their entirety Days from registration of the draft law to its adoption in the second reading and in their entirety Draft Law on Amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On the Judiciary and the Status of Judges” regarding the Peculiarities of Taking the Qualification Exam No. 11425-д of 24 October 2024 27 Draft Law on Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine on the Procedure for Military Service under Contract by Foreigners and Stateless Persons in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the State Special Transport Service and the National Guard of Ukraine No. 12023 of 9 September 2024 31 Draft Law on Peculiarities of Selling State-Owned Stakes in the Authorised Capital of Banks No. 11474 of 12 August 2024 38 Draft Law on Amendments to the Tax Code of Ukraine on Peculiarities of Taxation during Martial Law No. 11416-д of 30 August 2024 41 Draft Law on Amendments to the Criminal Code of Ukraine and the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine on Improving the Regulation of Plea Agreements in Criminal Proceedings on Corruption and Corruption-Related Criminal Offences No. 12039 of 17 September 2024 42 List of top 5 draft laws with the longest time from registration of the draft law to its adoption in the second reading and in its entirety.
Draft laws adopted in the second reading and in their entirety Days from registration of the draft law to its adoption in the second reading and in their entirety Draft Law on Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine on Improving the Quality of Food Products Consumed by Children No. 5148 of 25 February 2021 1287 Draft Law on Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts on Measures Aimed at Restoring the Rights of Convicts and Persons in Custody Due to Improper Conditions of Detention No. 5652 of 11 June 2021 1259 Draft Law on Peculiarities of Regulation of Entrepreneurship of Certain Types of Legal Entities and Their Associations in the Transition Period No. 6013 of 9 September 2021 1218 Draft Law on Rating No. 5819 of 9 September 2021 1155 Draft Law on Amendments to the National Programme for the Development of the Mineral Resource Base of Ukraine until 2030 No. 6227 of 27 October 2021 1148
The period between the first reading of the draft law and its adoption in the second reading and in its entirety
The time between adoption in the first reading and the second readings and in their entirety for the draft laws passed during the 12th session showed unusual dynamics. Compared to the 11th session, it remained almost unchanged for 40% of draft laws, increased for about 30% (by 12–55 days) and decreased for 20% of the slowest draft laws (by 89–161 days). However, the passage of such draft laws was accelerated by 25 days on average, meaning that the speed of processing draft laws increased on average.
| Initiating entity | Average number of days | Median number of days |
| Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine | 131 | 168 |
| MPs of Ukraine | 174 (172 for the Servant of the People faction) | 64 (64 for the Servant of the People faction) |
| President of Ukraine* | 73 | 92 |
*The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted only 3 presidential draft laws in the second reading and in their entirety during the 12th session. Therefore, this entity is highlighted in grey in the table.
The process of passing draft laws from the first to the second readings and in their entirety during the 12th session returned to the trends of the 8th, 9th and 10th sessions in terms of the ratio of time spent on MPs’ and governmental draft laws, as now governmental draft laws are passing faster than MPs’ legislative initiatives. Compared to the 11th session, the respective time for passing governmental draft laws decreased by 78 days (i.e., 37%), while the increase for MPs’ draft laws was not significant and amounted to 3 days compared to the 11th session.
These data show that the increase in the time required to pass a draft law in the second reading and in its entirety is not so much due to the delay in their processing for the second reading as to the fact that these draft laws had been waiting for consideration in the first reading in the session hall for a long time.
Annex 5 contains the 5 longest draft laws in terms of the number of days from adoption of the draft law in the second reading and in its entirety, as well as the 5 fastest draft laws.
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Annex 5. Time to pass a draft law from its adoption in the first reading to its adoption in the second reading and in its entirety
List of top 4 draft laws with the shortest time from adoption of the draft in the first reading to its adoption in the second reading and in its entirety.
Draft laws Days from the adoption of the draft law in the first reading to its adoption in the second reading and in its entirety Draft Law on Peculiarities of Selling State-Owned Stakes in the Authorised Capital of Banks No. 11474 of 12 August 2024 14 Draft Law on Amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On the State Budget of Ukraine for 2024” on Financial Support of the Security and Defence Sector No. 11417 of 18 July 2024 15 Draft Law on the State Budget of Ukraine for 2025 No. 12000 of 14 September 2024 19 Draft Law on Amendments to the Criminal Code of Ukraine and the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine on Improving the Regulation of Plea Agreements in Criminal Proceedings on Corruption and Corruption-Related Criminal Offences No. 12039 of 17 September 2024 20 List of top 5 draft laws with the longest time from adoption of the draft in the first reading to its adoption in the second reading and in its entirety.
Draft laws Days from the adoption of the draft law in the first reading to its adoption in the second reading and in its entirety Draft Law on Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine on Improving the Quality of Food Products Consumed by Children No. 5148 of 25 February 2021 1077 Draft Law on Peculiarities of Regulation of Entrepreneurship of Certain Types of Legal Entities and Their Associations in the Transition Period No. 6013 of 9 September 2021 728 Draft Law on Rating No. 5819 of 22 July 2021 658 Draft Law on Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine on Ensuring the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to Work No. 5344-д of 18 November 2022 596 Draft Law on State Regulation of Plant Protection No. 8340 of 9 January 2023 537
