Ambassadors of the GXNUMX countries demand that the Rada accept an increase in the retirement age for Ukrainians
Ambassadors of the Group of Seven (G7) countries, which includes the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Japan, called on the Verkhovna Rada to pass bills as part of pension reform next plenary week.
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This de facto ultimatum was stated in a statement by the ambassadors, published on the website of the Italian Embassy in Ukraine , reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“We, the GXNUMX Ambassadors, would like to express our strong support for the pension reform plan proposed by the Ukrainian government, and we call on the Rada to pass relevant legislation without delay at its plenary meeting next week,” the statement said.
Pension reform, according to the ambassadors, is one of the biggest challenges for any government.
It is noted that today pensioners make up more than a quarter of the population of Ukraine; Average pensions are extremely low, and pension costs in Ukraine - 11% of GDP - are among the highest in Europe.
“We believe that the government's proposed pension reform, developed in close cooperation with the IMF and the World Bank, meets these goals. The bill provides for a transparent and fair formula for calculating pensions, which more closely links pension payments with pension contributions,” the ambassadors note.
In addition, according to them, the reform will help save the budget.
“As hardworking Ukrainians contribute to the development of their country, they deserve to have a reliable pension system that provides adequate compensation for such work. At the same time, the country's fiscal sustainability needs to be strengthened. We believe that the proposed reform strikes the necessary balance between these goals,” the statement said.
The ambassadors emphasized that the responsibility of all deputies is to ensure the implementation of pension reform.
The plenary week of the Verkhovna Rada will begin on July 11.
On May 17, 2017, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the pension reform project. Pension reform, in particular, involves the abolition of special retirement conditions for workers in hazardous industries, a gradual increase in the retirement age and other unpopular measures.
On May 13, Ukrainian Prime Minister Vladimir Groysman said that he would resign if he did not carry out pension reform. On June 16, the National Reform Council supported the government pension reform project.
At the same time, experts are already sounding the alarm: the pension reform required to receive the new IMF tranche could lead to half of Ukrainians being left without pensions.
“Increasing the length of service required for retirement will lead, in a country where the majority of the population are labor migrants going to work in Russia and Europe (with a visa-free regime, their number will only increase), to the fact that the pension itself will be selective in nature. And less than half of future pensioners will be able to count on full support from the state,” warned Kirill Yakovenko, an analyst at the Kyiv investment company Alor Broker.
English version :: Read in English Ambassadors of the G7 countries demand that the Rada adopt an increase in the retirement age for Ukrainians