5,236 amendments submitted to the 2027 State Budget draft — Parliament says it is a record
Kyiv • UNN
5,236 amendments were submitted to the 2027 State Budget draft — 1.5 times more than last year. Two-thirds were called legislative spam.
A record 5,236 amendments were submitted to the draft law "On the State Budget of Ukraine for 2027," which is 1.5 times more than last year. This was reported by MP Roksolana Pidlasa, Chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Budgetary Matters, UNN reports.
Members of Parliament submitted 5,236 amendments to the 2027 budget bill. This is 1.5 times more than last year and a record for at least 24 years (statistics have generally been kept since the 2003 budget)
According to her, two-thirds of these amendments are so-called "legislative spam," submitted in order to speak for hours in the plenary hall or to demand that desired amendments be taken into account.
If at least 90 seconds are spent on each amendment, their consideration will take more than 16 full working days. Clearly, amendments to draft laws are necessary, but there must be common sense in everything. Alongside the budget, the Rada must also vote on other laws that are critical for receiving international funding
Additional information
On Tuesday, September 15, the Cabinet of Ministers submitted to the Verkhovna Rada the draft State Budget for 2027. This draft budget allocates UAH 4 trillion 885 billion for defense alone, amounting to almost 44% of GDP.
On September 16, the draft law was presented in the Verkhovna Rada chamber. In accordance with the procedure, by October 1, MPs, committees, and factions study the document and submit their proposals to the Committee on Budgetary Matters. The Accounting Chamber prepares its expert opinion.
The Accounting Chamber stated that the draft State Budget of Ukraine for 2027 includes more than UAH 1.5 trillion in external borrowing, but potential creditors have not yet been identified.
After that, the Verkhovna Rada considers the draft law on the State Budget of Ukraine for the following year in the first reading no later than October 20. However, according to MPs, consideration of the draft law is not planned for the nearest plenary session, which is to take place from October 12 to 16.
"It will be brought forward for October 26–30; Monday the 26th has already also been declared a plenary day to begin consideration of the amendments," MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak reported.
Adoption of the draft law in the first reading means approval of the Conclusions and Proposals concerning the draft law, which become binding for the Cabinet of Ministers to revise. Within 14 days after the draft law is adopted in the first reading, the government revises the draft budget, taking into account the Budget Conclusions of the Verkhovna Rada, and submits it to parliament for the second reading.
Consideration in the second reading must take place by November 20. The following are adopted in the second reading:
- the maximum amount of the annual state budget deficit (surplus), the maximum amount of public debt, and the maximum amount of state guarantees to be provided;
- the total amount of state budget revenues, expenditures, and lending;
- the minimum wage for the relevant budget period, the subsistence minimum for the relevant budget period calculated per month per person, as well as separately for the main social and demographic groups of the population, and the level of subsistence minimum provision for the relevant budget period;
- budget allocations for intergovernmental transfers and other provisions necessary for the preparation of local budgets.
By December 1, the Verkhovna Rada votes on the bill in the third reading and adopts the document as a whole.