President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Dmytro Razumkov and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal as regards the need to comply with Ukraine’s international obligations when amending the legislation in the field of public procurement.
This is stated in the letters of the Head of State addressed to the heads of government and parliament. The President draws attention to the fact that a number of initiatives proposed provide for the removal of procurement of goods and services in various fields from the scope of the Law of Ukraine "On Public Procurement" as a whole or from the scope of some of its provisions.
"This contradicts the main purpose and principles of the law, and may create a basis for corruption, which will have a negative impact on the state of international relations of Ukraine, including with financial institutions," Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted.
According to him, the main purpose of the Law of Ukraine "On Public Procurement" is to ensure efficient and transparent procurement, create a competitive environment in the field of public procurement, prevent corruption in this area and develop fair competition.
Also, this law is aimed at adapting the legislation of Ukraine to the legislation of the European Union according to the implementation of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU. This agreement, in particular, stipulates that all contracts are concluded through transparent and impartial procedures for determining the contractor.
"Today, the main provisions of the law comply with the rules of public procurement established by EU directives, and therefore all changes that will be made should not contradict European legislation in the field of procurement," the President emphasized.
In view of the above, the Head of State underscores the need to ensure a more balanced approach to the development of relevant legislative initiatives in order to comply with the basic principles of public procurement and international obligations of the state in this area.