Oksana Romaniuk: Ministry of Information entrenches mandate of other Ministries

In her comment to "Ukrainska Pravda" on the new draft of Provisions on Ministry of Informational Policy presented by Yuri Stets on December 10, the executive director of the Institute of Mass Information Oksana Romaniuk believes that the draft exceeds this body’s authority. She pointed out that the most notorious provisions were deleted but the rest still offers such wide mandate it would cover just about anything at all.

According to Romaniuk, in regard to informational interests and the right for information this governmental agency is redundant.

Romaniuk said that the most dubious provision is the one according to which the Ministry is to conduct legal regulation in the spheres of proliferation of information, awareness-raising activities, and governmental informational patronage in the system of education and governmental agencies. She believes this to be dangerously close to censorship.

The Ministry also intends to coordinate activities of press services at all levels – while this is under the mandate of bodies of executive power and of local self-government.

The provision on state secrets is already covered by the Security Service of Ukraine and the issue of Ukraine's international image – by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Another issue with this draft is that the Ministry is established as a temporary institution but the document does not specify how it is supposed to be disbanded.