The Federation of Employers of Ukraine proposed introducing a two-month transitional period in the event of changes to the criteria by which enterprises obtain critically important status. The proposals were sent to the Minister of Economy and Environment, Oleksandr Kravchenko, after a meeting of business association representatives with the Prime Minister on 29 October.
List of key proposals
The document sets out several changes to the procedure for determining critically important enterprises and the booking procedure. Among them are specific steps to protect status and simplify procedures.
- Give enterprises two months to adapt if the criterion under which they received critically important status is removed.
- Extend the validity of existing decisions on criticality whose terms expire in November–December 2026.
- Allow enterprises in all sectors to apply for critically important status by removing the restricted list of sectors.
- Shorten the period for review of documents by the Coordination Centre, which can currently take up to a month.
- Introduce the principle of tacit consent if recommendations are not provided on time, and clearly define the grounds for refusal of the status.
It is emphasised that the proposed booking rules are important for retaining staff, ensuring the stable operation of enterprises, filling the budget and meeting defence needs. The proposals were drafted after the 29 October meeting and were forwarded to the minister.
Government changes to booking rules and quotas
At the end of October the Cabinet of Ministers updated the rules for determining critically important enterprises and the booking procedure for those liable for military service. The maximum booking quota for the energy sector and the defence-industrial complex was reduced from 100% to 95%.
If a justified need arises, enterprises can apply to the special Coordination Centre to increase the quota. Earlier, the Union of Ukrainian Entrepreneurs urged that existing decisions on criticality be preserved until the end of their term if companies continue to meet the requirements on which that status was granted.
