Ukraine Reforms Tracker Weekly — Issue 18

Editor’s note: This is issue 18 of Ukrainian lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak’s weekly "Ukraine Reforms Tracker" covering events from March 10–16, 2025. The digest highlights steps taken in the Ukrainian parliament related to business, economics, and international financial programs.

The Kyiv Independent is republishing with permission.

Benchmarks and soft commitments with the IMF

Commission eliminates 17 candidates in first round of Economic Security Bureau leadership race

On March 14, the competition commission held the first stage of the selection process for the new director of the Bureau of Economic Security (BES) – a general skills exam. Following the assessment, 17 candidates were eliminated, including the current acting BES chief, Serhii Perkhun.

Only 16 candidates scored 107 points or higher and will advance to the next stage — a legal knowledge exam.

Obligations to the EU

Parliament approves civil service pay reform, rejects several salaries increases

Ukraine's Parliament, the Verkhovna Rada has passed draft law #8222, introducing a standardized pay structure for civil servants based on a position classification system. The reform, aimed at aligning public sector salaries with Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development standards, was supported by 259 MPs. The reform is a requirement under the Ukraine Facility financial mechanism, with a Q1 2025 deadline.

However, amendments to raise salaries for several key ministries were partially rejected. Salary increases for the State Audit Service (DASU) were approved while proposed raises for the Justice Ministry, Finance Ministry, Digital Transformation Ministry, Economy Ministry and the Verkhovna Rada Secretariat were voted down.

While the newly adopted civil service pay reform introduces a standardized classification system, it does not immediately address the broader issue of the public sector's lack of competitiveness in the job market.

As Ugis Sics, head of EU4PAR project, noted: “The position classification system needs to be expanded to cover all civil service roles, while fairness, transparency, and competitiveness in civil servants' salaries must continue to improve in an increasingly competitive labor market."

Other key economic issues

Zelensky signs law to purchase outdated Russian nuclear reactors for $1 billion

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed bill #11392, approving the $1 billion purchase of two outdated Russian nuclear reactors from Bulgaria. The reactors, originally manufactured by Rosatom for Bulgaria’s unfinished Belene Nuclear Power Plant, are set to be used for the construction of reactor units No. 3 and No. 4 at Ukraine’s Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant (KhNPP). However, Energoatom still hasn’t received an approval from the Verkhovna Rada to launch the construction of these reactors.

Ukrainian TV channel linked to Presidential Office receives around $4.4 million in state contracts at premium rates

On March 13, Ukraine held a state procurement auction to allocate over Hr 700 million ($16.7 million) for content production for the United News Marathon in 2025.

Major broadcasters Inter, StarLight Media, 1+1, and We — Ukraine each secured Hr 184 million ($4.4 million) in contracts. However, We — Ukraine received the highest per-hour rate at Hr 163,000 ($3,900) per hour — a rate exceeding that of other networks.

The channel has previously received the largest state contracts for producing United News content in 2023 and 2024.

The Presidential Office's alleged connection to We – Ukraine has been repeatedly discussed in the public sphere. Evidence supporting these claims can be found in reports by Detector media, Ukraiinska Pravda, and MP Iaroslav Zhelezniak’s YouTube channel.