Institute of Legislative Ideas

📢 On 6-7 December 2024, the second annual international conference “Criminalisation of sanctions evasion”, organised by CEELI Institute and the European Commission, took place in Prague, Czech Republic. 🌍 This event brought together experts from different countries, including the United States, Germany, France, Latvia, the Czech Republic and others, to discuss new approaches to strengthening sanctions policy. Among the participants of the conference were representatives of the Institute of Legislative Ideas - Tetiana Khutor, a Chairwoman of the organisation, Andriy Klymosyuk, Project Manager, and Микола Рубащенко, Analyst. 📑 The conference programme was intense. On the first day, the participants discussed international experience and legislative initiatives. During the first session, Tetiana Khutor presented a draft law aimed at criminalising the violation and circumvention of sanctions, which is an important step towards harmonising national legislation with European law. She emphasised the importance of introducing personal criminal liability for sanctions violations. In her opinion, this will not only increase the sanctions pressure but will also be a significant step towards Ukraine's integration into the EU. 💰 The second day was devoted to the use of confiscated assets to support the war victims. Tetiana Khutor moderated the key session, during which she shared proposals for directing fines and confiscated funds to help victims of Russian aggression. She cited successful experiences in the United States and Lithuania that could be used as a model for Ukraine. 👥 The conference has become a valuable platform for sharing experiences and developing new solutions. We are grateful to the organisers and partners for the opportunity to join the international discussion and present the achievements of the ILI!

🗓️ On 19 November, the Institute of Legislative Ideas, together with National Democratic Institute (NDI) and George Mason University held a roundtable discussion on the challenges and prospects of anti-corruption legislative review. The event brought together experts from around the world, including Ukraine, the United States, Romania, Lithuania, Chile, Thailand and others. 👩⚖️ Tetiana Khutor,a Chairwoman of the Institute of Legislative Ideas, in her speech noted that over the 7 years of its activity, the ILI has analysed more than 8,000 draft laws. This work was made possible thanks to the support of civil society and international partners, but there are still challenges that require new approaches. Tetiana focused on the key issues: 🔸 The speed and lack of transparency of legislative procedures, which complicate high-quality expertise; 🔸 Lack of resources and expertise in various fields; 🔸 Lack of mechanisms to ensure that the results of #anticorruption assessments are taken into account. 🚀 The use of #AI technologies in the anti-corruption sector has become one of the most discussed topics at the roundtable. Tetiana Khutor noted that despite the initial stage of development of this area, its prospects are impressive. AI can automate risk analysis, speed up expertise, and make it more objective. This is especially important for #Ukraine, where there is an urgent need to increase the transparency and efficiency of the legislative process. 💬 The event was another step towards building a legislative system where #corruption simply has no chance. We thank our partners and all participants for the meaningful discussions!

💶 Starting in January 2025, the #EU will pay Ukraine €1.5 billion per month using the proceeds of frozen Russian assets. This will be part of a large-scale financial #support package aimed at strengthening Ukraine's economy and defence. This was announced by President of the European Council Antonio Costa during a meeting with Volodymyr #Zelenskyy in Kyiv. Details of this and other important news are in our latest #newsletter: 🔹Donald #Trump proposes to use $300 billion of frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine. How will this affect the West and will the EU and the #UK agree? 🔹The European Commission plans to allocate €1 billion to strengthen Ukraine's defence industry. What does this mean for our security? 🔹Bypassing sanctions: how do Russian companies obtain technology through third countries, and what is #Ukraine doing to stop it? 🔹New initiatives to counter sanctions violations in the UK, Poland and other countries. 🙌 You can find even more relevant news on the #confiscation of Russian assets and international #sanctions on the Confiscation Tracker website at the link in the comment section of this article ⬇️

📑 The #EU is preparing the 15th package of sanctions against #Russia, which should strengthen existing restrictions and further isolate the Russian industry from imports. More details are in the latest newsletter on the Confiscation Tracker! Also in the newsletter: 🔸 Zelenskyy estimates Ukraine's losses from Russian aggression at $800 billion; 🔸 The #UK has approved the largest package of sanctions against Russia since May 2023; 🔸 In #Germany, an entrepreneur was sentenced to seven years in prison for supplying machine tools to a Russian arms manufacturer. 🙌 Read more news about #sanctions and #confiscation of Russian assets on the Confiscation Tracker website (link in the comments⬇️).

💰 After a long process of negotiations and approvals, the #EU and the #US have announced the final decision to provide Ukraine with a $50 billion #loan secured by the proceeds of frozen Russian assets. The funds are expected to be disbursed to Kyiv by the end of this year. 🎙️ In her commentary for Ukrainian Radio, Tetiana Khutor, the Head of the Institute of Legislative Ideas, expressed hope that these funds will not become a loan for #Ukraine, but will instead have the features of a grant, which will free Ukraine from additional obligations and provide the country with more opportunities for its development. Tetiana Khutor also emphasised that: 🔸 Ukraine should have the priority right to decide what needs to be addressed with these funds; 🔸 It is important that this money can support the defence industry, in particular Ukrainian manufacturers; 🔸 The funds should be used for economic stability and to support the country's vital activity next year. 🗣️ “As early as 2022, we started talking about the need to transfer profits from managing frozen assets to Ukraine. Therefore, we should welcome this decision, which has gone further than originally envisaged. However, we need to strategically reach the main amount of the aggressor's frozen assets - about $300 billion. This goal will significantly strengthen our economy and defence,” summed up the Head of the ILI. #standwithukraine #supportukraine

💥 Japan has decided on the amount of its contribution to the #G7 loan from frozen Russian assets! More than $3 billion will be allocated to support #Ukraine's economy starting in December 2024. Read more about this in the latest newsletter on the Confiscation Tracker! You will also find out: 🔹For the first time, a foreign court has seized Russian assets at the suit of #Naftogaz; 🔹#Latvian authorities deny rumours about the country's involvement in circumventing Russian sanctions; 🔹 The #HACC partially satisfied the claim for the recovery of assets of Russian businessman Lukienenko. More relevant news in the field of confiscation of Russian assets and international #sanctions can be found on the Confiscation Tracker website at the link in the comments⬇️

🇪🇺 Despite a lengthy process and obstacles, the #EU has finally approved a decision to provide Ukraine with a loan of up to €35 billion, financed by the proceeds of frozen Russian assets. The funds should be disbursed to #Ukraine by the end of the year. You can learn more about the details in our new weekly Confiscation Tracker #newsletter! Also in the newsletter: 🔸 The United States and the United Kingdom are preparing their loans for Ukraine as part of the #G7 assistance program; 🔸 The #US proposes to impose sanctions on Russian palladium and titanium; 🔸 The Czech Constitutional Court dismissed the complaints of Dmytro Kalantyrsky, who kept funds of the sanctioned Rosenberg. 💻 This and other news are already on the Confiscation Tracker website, where you will find news on the #confiscation of Russian assets and international #sanctions! Link in the comments⬇️

🗒️ In today's post, we continue to share the recommendations developed by the Institute of Legislative Ideas as part of the study of #UNCAC implementation in #Ukraine. This part covers important aspects aimed at increasing transparency, effectiveness of law enforcement and international cooperation in the fight against corruption. Focusing on the key areas, we emphasise the need for further structural changes to significantly strengthen #anticorruption mechanisms and ensure effectiveness in combating illicit financial flows. 🙌 Each of the proposed measures is designed to promote #transparency and accountability in the public and private sectors while ensuring closer cooperation with international partners. Our experts have carefully developed these recommendations to take into account not only the Ukrainian context but also international standards, making them practically applicable in real life. 💻 More details on the implementation of UNCAC in Ukraine are available on our #Monitoring Platform website. So stay tuned so you don't miss the most important!

🇪🇺 #EU leaders have supported a €35 billion loan to #Ukraine from frozen Russian assets. The next step is to consider this issue at the plenary session of the European Parliament today. Read more about this in our newsletter! You will also find out: 🔸#Switzerland has fully joined the 14th EU sanctions package - what new restrictions have been introduced? 🔸 The #UK has re-imposed new sanctions against the Russian “shadow fleet”; 🔸 More than 13 tons of chemicals that could have been smuggled to #Russia to circumvent sanctions have been seized in #Spain - how did this become possible? 💻 Read more about the #confiscation of Russian assets and international #sanctions on our Confiscation Tracker website — always up-to-date and fresh news. The link is in the comments⬇️

🗒️ As part of the report on the implementation of the UN Convention against Corruption (#UNCAC), the Institute of Legislative Ideas has prepared recommendations aimed at strengthening #transparency and effectiveness in the fight against corruption. Our proposals will help to improve the #monitoring and control processes, increase accountability for #corruption offences and ensure proper implementation of international standards. ☝️We are confident that these recommendations will help strengthen anti-corruption institutions and reduce the impact of corruption on all spheres of public life. 🔎 Stay tuned to learn more about the implementation of these changes and the next steps!