Port workers and farmers will be able to obtain permission to travel abroad

Workers of critical infrastructure facilities may be granted the right to travel abroad. For this, the Ministry of Economy is working on a new law on the reservation of employees.

The new law allows booking employees of critical infrastructure, Ukraine’s Economy Minister Yulia Svyridenko said in an interview with Forbes.

These are the employees of the following institutions:

• state authorities;

• other state bodies;

• local self-government bodies (if the reservation is necessary to ensure the functioning of the listed bodies);

• enterprises, institutions and organizations that have assigned mobilization tasks.

The list also includes enterprises that produce goods, perform work and provide services necessary to meet the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations. In addition, the list includes enterprises that are critically important for the functioning of the economy and ensuring the livelihood of the population in a special period.

According to Svyridenko, the Ministry of Economy has currently prepared a draft resolution detailing and standardizing the criteria and procedure for organizing reservations. The document is currently under approval.

It will not be necessary to rebook all employees, in accordance with the new norms. Employees booked today can switch to the new format after the current booking period ends.

The Minister of Economy also said that the Ministry of Economy is already working with the Ministry of Digital Affairs and the General Staff to transfer the reservation procedure to an electronic format.

As for the ” єВідрядження” (e-trip) procedure, it has lost its meaning, taking into account the draft of the new resolution on the reservation of employees. Now, booked persons will be able to cross the border without hindrance if they have the necessary documents.

Nevertheless, the final decision on granting permission to travel abroad rests with the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff.

“Our task is not to allow everyone to leave, our task is to help businesses that are working, to go abroad to conclude new contracts, agreements, participate in exhibitions, etc.,” commented Yuliya Svyridenko.

The new law does not provide for significant changes in the current order of reservation, but it will enable the government to expand the list of enterprises whose employees can theoretically be reserved.

In order to book an employee, the company must submit an application to the Ministry of Economy or a relevant ministry. For example, farmers should apply to the Ministry of Agricultural Policy, and transport industry workers to the Ministry of Community Development, Territories and Infrastructure. Applications approved by the ministries are submitted for final approval to the Ministry of Defense, which issues an order on the reservation of employees.