Page 15 - UKRRptSept19

don’t have time for...This means that after 2020 Ukraine should be completely in digital, on a smartphone.”
Customs service reforms: another notoriously corrupt services must see a comprehensive reform launched by December 1. A single-window customs service must be launched by January 1 next year.
Judicial and state organ reforms: like all the state bodies, the judiciary is also notoriously corrupt. Zelenskiy is calling for the system to be purged and 2,000 new judges to be vetted and hired by January 1 next year. As part of this purge by the same date “the most corrupt state agencies” should be purged, including the agencies for Geodesy, Cartography and Cadastre, Geology and Subsoil, Architectural and Construction Inspectorate, Environmental Protection, Transport Safety, and Highway Agency, reports UBN. This is another Augean stables reform and it is not clear which nearby river Zelenskiy can divert to get this job done this quickly.
2.4 Politics - misc
China urged the United States not to interfere "in internal and external affairs" of Ukraine, Beijing’s ambassador to Ukraine Du Wei said on August 30 amid snowballing crisis over the sale of a controlling stake in Motor Sich, the world’s largest producers of airplane and helicopter engines. "China has never irresponsibly expressed opinions regarding Ukraine's domestic and foreign policy, it never demanded that Ukraine choose between China and the US," the ambassador said. "The US should not brazenly interfere in Ukraine's internal and external affairs, as well as demand that Ukraine choose between China and the US." The statement followed remarks of US National Security Adviser John Bolton that the US administration is going to prevent Ukraine from cooperating with China and offering military technologies.
The Ukrainian government has requested to purchase more Javelin anti- tank missile systems from the U.S. Defense Department, U.S. Charges d’Affaires ad interim William Taylor told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in an interview published on Aug. 5. The decision is “a move that would bolster its defenses and add to its stock of Javelins received last year but would also likely anger Russia,” tweeted Christopher Miller, an RFE/RL reporter. Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst has called upon the U.S. government to consider offering more Javelin systems to Ukraine.
In its first major decision on the job, Ukraine's new reformist parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, signed off on a decision to cancel parliamentary immunity for deputies, effective from early 2020. The nixing of immunity strikes a heavy blow against corruption in the ranks of government and exposes lawmakers to prosecution and jail time should they be caught stealing. The new parliament convened for the first time on Friday August 29, but within days passed the motion with 373 lawmakers out of 450 voting for on September 3. At least 300 votes were needed for the final approval as nixing parliamentary immunity requires changes to the constitutional. Ending the immunity from prosecution is one of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s key campaign promises and in keeping with his pledge to clean up the notoriously corrupt government.
15 UKRAINE Country Report September 2019 www.intellinews.com