The parliamentary committee on digital transformation has decided to ask Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky to explain the appointment of Digital Transformation Minister Oksana Ferchuk without prior discussion of her candidacy in the committee.
"During the Aug. 6 meeting… committee members discussed the recent appointment of Ukraine’s new digital transformation minister, which took place without prior discussion in the relevant committee… committee members supported a proposal to send a letter to the prime minister demanding an explanation of why the appointment was made without agreement with the relevant committee," the Verkhovna Rada Secretariat’s press service said on Thursday.
Committee members also decided to invite Ferchuk to a committee meeting to present her action plan and answer lawmakers’ questions.
The committee explained its decision by citing concerns over ensuring the continuity of the country’s large-scale digitalization efforts, with an emphasis on developing defense technology, anti-corruption digital services and integration into the European technological space — areas the Digital Transformation Ministry had been overseeing before the new government’s formation.
The committee also removed from the parliament’s draft session agenda and its work plan bills submitted by the previous government that had not been passed by the Verkhovna Rada in a first reading.
As reported previously, Verkhovna Rada rules provide that once a Cabinet of Ministers’ powers are terminated, all bills it submitted that were not considered by parliament in a first reading lose relevance and are considered withdrawn.
The Verkhovna Rada elected a new Cabinet of Ministers headed by Koretsky on July 16. According to the meeting’s electronic protocol, three of the digital transformation committee’s eight lawmakers voted to support the new government, two voted against, one abstained and two were absent.
