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In recent months, Ukraine’s parliament is drifting to a standstill, as the government struggles to gather necessary votes during sessions. The reason is not political disagreement over pending legislation, but a general sense of frustration among parliament’s members, according to experts and lawmakers who spoke to the Kyiv Independent. The two most commonly cited reasons are the travel restrictions, and a general breakdown in the relationship between parliament and other branches of the government.

Despite pressure from the Presidential Office the Verkhovna Rada rejected the Cabinet of Minister's draft law on restarting the Bureau of Economic Security (BES). On Feb. 23, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine rejected the Cabinet of Ministers’ draft law #10439 on the fake restart of the BES. Despite huge pressure from the Office of the President and persuasion from the Justice and Economy ministries, the law only got 222 out of the 226 votes needed for it to pass.

The business community in Ukraine does not support bill No. 10439, recently backed by the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine’s Parliament) Committee on Finance, Taxation and Customs Policy, which aims to reform the Economic Security Bureau (BES), the European Business Association (EBA) said in its Feb. 22 statement.

Lawmakers submitted an alternative draft law on restarting the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine (ESBU) in line with international recommendations. On Feb. 12, Yaroslav Zhelezniak, first deputy head of the Committee on Finance, Tax and Customs Policy, and other lawmakers submitted draft law №10439-2 on restarting the ESBU. The alternative draft law №10439-2 was developed in cooperation with the Anti-Corruption Action Center (AntAC), International Development Law Organization (IDLO), business associations and international partners of Ukraine.

If the blockade is not lifted at the Ukrainian-Polish border by the end of the month, Ukraine's budget might lose UAH 7.7 billion (approximately US$200.5 million). Source: Danylo Hetmantsev, head of the Ukrainian Parliament Committee for Finances, Tax and Customs Policy, on Telegram Quote: "If the blockade at the border is not lifted by the end of the month, the country's budget will lose UAH 7.