IMF mission on 7th review of EFF arrangement for Ukraine to begin in late Feb - rep

MOSCOW. Jan 31 (Interfax) - An International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission tasked with the seventh review of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) arrangement is due in late February, Ukrainian media said, citing IMF Resident Representative in Ukraine Priscilla Tofano's statement at a presentation of monitoring for the IMF program and the Ukraine Plan initiated by the RRR4U consortium.

The mission will discuss new terms and key priorities for the single project pipeline process within the budget declaration for 2026-2028, as well as the budget for next year, Tofano said.

It also plans to assess the action plan for public-investment management reform, she said, adding that progress in implementing the action plan for strengthening medium-term fiscal framework will be checked.

The IMF views public-investment management reform in conjunction with other closely related areas, Tofano said.

The Ukrainian budget will receive $917.54 million if Kiev passes the 7th EFF review successfully.

It was noted in the presentation that Ukraine had failed to meet two structural benchmarks, namely the adoption of bills cancelling the so-called Lozovoi amendments by the end of 2024 and the establishment of a high administrative court in exchange of the abolished Kiev District Administrative Court. The Ukrainian government registered related bills at the national parliament in late December, and they have yet to be approved in principle.

According to the memorandum, one of the bills amends the Criminal Procedure Code to allow the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office to manage extradition and mutual legal assistance requests and to rationalize consequences of the expiry of pretrial investigation periods (including in corruption cases), which levels off the Lozovoi amendments.

The other bill envisages the establishment of a new court to hear administrative cases against government institutions, including the government, the National Bank, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, and the National Agency on Corruption Prevention, by judges who pass professional competence and integrity qualifications.