Activities:

Quarterly Activity Report of the Twinning Project in Ukraine Presented

August 14, 2020

On 7 August 2020, the third meeting of the Steering Committee of the Twinning Project in Ukraine “Strengthening the Regulatory Capacity of the National Commission for the State Regulation of Communications and Informatization in the Areas of Market Access and Quality of Service Monitoring System” took place. The Third Quarterly Activity Report of the project was presented there. After the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic and introduction of travel restrictions, Lithuanian, Latvian and Ukrainian experts continued to remotely implement the started activities with intensity and success.

During the project implementation from March to June 2020, 16 experts of Lithuanian and Latvian regulators used 70 working days for remote missions, which were attended by more than 70 employees of the Ukrainian authority. The missions achieved the following key outcomes:

  • Draft Rules for the Settlement of Disputes between the End-Users and Providers of Electronic Communications Services were drawn. The regulatory provisions of the existing Law on Electronic Communications of Ukraine and the new draft law were analyzed.
  • The analysis document of the regulation to be established in the new draft Law on Electronic Communications of Ukraine was developed. Proposals on improving specific provisions were provided to ensure that the regulation of the end-users’ rights and net neutrality comply with the European Electronic Communications Code (Directive (EU) 2018/1972) and the Regulation (EU) 2015/2120.
  • Guidelines on monitoring and ensuring the availability of non-discriminatory internet access services (net neutrality-open internet rules) have been drafted.
  • Technical specification of internet access services QoS evaluation tool (speedometer) were developed.
  • Guidelines on the practical issues of end-user protection were developed.
  • Ukrainian legislation on the independence of the National Regulatory Authority was analyzed.

The draft Law on Electronic Communications is currently under deliberation at the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, which aims to ensure that the regulation of electronic communications activities complies with EU requirements, among others. The provisions of the law will be complemented by the currently prepared draft Law on the National Regulatory Authority, one of the most important goals of which is to ensure the independence of the Ukrainian regulator.

The Twinning project aims to strengthen the capacity of the Ukrainian National Regulatory Authority to perform the functions of quality monitoring and market analysis of electronic communications services, which are critical for ensuring the proper provision of electronic communications services and the market functioning. Though the Twinning project is not directly related to the draft Law on the National Regulatory Authority, if needed, the Ukrainian National Regulatory Authority will be provided with all necessary expert assistance in assessing the compliance of this draft law with the EU legislation.

The remote photo (watch clockwise):

Ms. Nataliia Lado – Resident Twinning Adviser counterpart, Ukraine.

Ms. Yuliia Yerchenko – Head of Projects Management Unit
Center for Adaptation of the Civil Service to the Standards of the European Union, Ukraine.

Ms. Svitlana DIDKIVSKA – Project Manager (Transport) at Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine.

Mr. Alexander Zhyvotovsky – BC Project Leader, Ukraine.

Mr. Giedrius PŪRAS – Resident Twinning Adviser.

More about the project:

Since September 2019, the Communications Regulatory Authority of the Republic of Lithuania (RRT) together with the Latvian Public Utilities Commission implements the European Union Twinning Project in Ukraine “Strengthening the Regulatory Capacity of the National Commission for the State Regulation of Communications and Informatization in the Areas of Market Access and Quality of Service Monitoring System”. The aim of this project is to strengthen and improve the capacity of the the National Commission for the State Regulation of Communications and Informatization of Ukraine in the areas of quality supervision of electronic communications services, access to electronic communications networks and their interconnection.

Project value: 1.3 million euros.

Project duration: 2019 September – 2021 June

Project number: UA 18 ENI TE 01 19

The Twinning Program is an instrument of the European Union’s institutional cooperation between EU Member States and partner countries. The Twinning project is based on a direct exchange of knowledge and experience.

Updated on 2020-08-21