Ukrainian president enacts NSDC decision on energy security

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a decree enacting the decision of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) on urgent measures to ensure energy security.
The decree was posted on the website of the head of state on December 2.

By a respective decision, the NSDC ordered the establishment of the Council of Experts on Energy Security as an advisory body to the NSDC. The NSDC secretary undertakes to submit within a month for approval by the president a draft regulation on the Council of Experts on Energy Security at the NSDC.

The Cabinet of Ministers was instructed to submit to the Verkhovna Rada by April 1, 2020, the draft laws on the creation of minimum reserves of oil and oil products, taking into account the requirements of the European Union. The government was also instructed to develop a new wording of the Subsoil Code of Ukraine and a draft law on updating the provisions of the national program for the development of mineral resources of Ukraine for the period until 2030 regarding the increase of natural gas, oil, shale gas, and methane production.

The NSDC instructed the government to take action by January 1, 2020, to pay back wage arrears to employees of state-owned mines and to prevent such arrears from occurring in the future.

In addition, the Cabinet of Ministers must immediately approve the financial plan of Naftogaz of Ukraine for 2019, taking into account the current state budget, and the company's financial plan for 2020 must be approved within a month.

The central executive authorities are instructed within a month to provide the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) with information on violations by economic entities of the legislation on the protection of economic competition in the energy markets. The AMCU, in turn, is obliged to investigate these violations in due course and to take appropriate response measures.

The presidential decree of December 2, 2019 repeals Decree No. 448 of May 1, 2014 "On the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of April 28, 2014 'On the state of ensuring energy security in connection with the situation regarding the supply of natural gas to Ukraine'," and also Decree No. 876 of November 14, 2014 "On the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of November 4, 2014 'On the state of ensuring the state's energy security and urgent measures for the sustainable conduct of the 2014/2015 heating season'."

The decree comes into force from the day of its publication.