The Rada is proposing to pass a law on fair booking and to amend the booking rules in the event of mobilisation
Bill No. 15237, ‘On Fair Exemption and Participation in National Defence’, has been registered in the Verkhovna Rada; it proposes a change in the approach to the exemption of conscripts.
The document proposes a shift from a model under which reserved personnel are effectively exempt from mobilisation duties to a system of participation in national defence in other forms.
One of the key changes is the proposal to enshrine the criteria for exemption in law.
According to the draft law, the categories of persons, the grounds for reservation and the duration of deferrals are to be determined exclusively by law, rather than by resolutions of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
The authors of the initiative note that this should ensure greater transparency of the process and make it more difficult to change the rules through government decisions.
The document also provides for a ban on indefinite reservations.
Under Article 3 of the draft law, the status of reserved personnel is to be regularly reviewed to ensure compliance with legal requirements.
Article 5 of the draft law stipulates that reserved personnel must participate in ensuring the defence of the state in one of the specified forms.
Among the proposed mechanisms are:
- work at critical infrastructure facilities;
- service in the reserve without full release from work;
- targeted contributions for defence needs.
The document notes that the model of targeted contributions could become a mechanism for financing the needs of the Ukrainian Defence Forces.
The draft law also provides for the creation of a state Register of reserved personnel.
At the same time, it is planned to anonymise the personal data of critical infrastructure employees insofar as it relates to specific facilities.
The explanatory note to the draft law states that this should reduce the risks of information leaks regarding the staffing of strategic enterprises.
The document also raises issues regarding further regulatory framework.
In particular, the amount of targeted contributions, the procedure for organising the reserve service, and the mechanisms for protecting the Register’s data from cyberattacks have not yet been determined.
Once the law is passed, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine will have three months to draft subordinate legislation and bring existing regulations into line with the new rules.
