Ukrainian Carrot and Stick

While Viktor Yanukovych, President of Ukraine, expresses active will to join the Open Government Partnership, the Supreme Rada increases fines for disclosure of restricted-access information, says RBC.ua.

In the near future, a number of amendments will be introduced to the Ukrainian administrative offence code. Minimal fine for abuse of the state secret legislation will grow ten times, amounting to 510 Ukrainian hryvnias (UAH). Fines fir “disclosing confidential information owned by the state” will increase twenty times. Unlawful access to restricted-access data from official automated informational systems will be punished in similar way.

The explanatory note to the amendments declares that larger fines will protect developments made by Ukrainian scientists from copying by “foreign structures”.

The parliament has already read the amendments for the second time.