{
  "id": 482573,
  "title": "Cabinet registers SEPA accession bills, proposes higher fines for financial violations",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/cabinet-registers-sepa-accession-bills-proposes-higher-fines-for",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-10T16:15:58.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Interfax-Ukraine",
    "slug": "interfax-ukraine",
    "url": "https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/1192159.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Cabinet of Ministers has registered two bills with the Verkhovna Rada to meet European Payments Council requirements for Ukraine's accession to the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), along with plans for stricter penalties against financial violations. The first bill, No. 15501, aims to amend the Code of Administrative Offenses and Criminal Code to safeguard whistleblowers in preventing money laundering, terrorism financing, and weapons of mass destruction proliferation. It proposes administrative and criminal liability for officials who retaliate against employees who report such violations or disclose their identities. Bill No. 15503 seeks to protect legal entities' and their representatives' non-property rights by amending the Civil Code to address inaccurate reporting or public disclosure of financial monitoring violations. It also grants individuals the right of reply and exempts them from liability when the data is unintentionally published. Bill No. 15504 proposes a tougher penalty structure for financial legislation violations by amending the Code of Administrative Offenses, extending the statute of limitations and increasing fines for relevant offenses. The texts of these bills were unavailable on the parliament's website as of Monday, August 10. The finance committee chairman, Danylo Hetmantsev, mentioned that lawmakers' reservations about tougher financial monitoring hindered free decision-making on SEPA. In April, the committee recommended adopting alternative bill No. 14327-1 as a basis for drafting a new version. SEPA is a crucial component of Ukraine's plan under the Ukraine Facility program for the upcoming year, and the World Bank's Development Policy Objective (DPO) program aimed for its achievement by H1 or H2 of the current year. Previous government initiatives were withdrawn due to not being adopted in the first reading, causing the Cabinet of Ministers to restart the approval process. Betliy highlighted that the SEPA bill faced significant opposition, and an alternative bill (No. 14327-1) remains in parliament, potentially satisfying World Bank and EU requirements for a first reading adoption, though government approval is necessary. She noted that businesses, which would benefit from cheaper transactions, are primarily suffering from the delay in SEPA accession, while lawmakers are concerned about the potential impact of financial monitoring provisions.",
  "summary": "The Cabinet of Ministers has registered two draft laws with the Verkhovna Rada aimed at meeting European Payments Council requirements for Ukraine's accession to the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), and has also initiated tougher penalties for financial violations.",
  "key_points": [
    "Cabinet registers two bills to meet SEPA accession requirements",
    "Bills propose higher fines for financial violations and whistleblower protection",
    "SEPA crucial for Ukraine's plan under Ukraine Facility program"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}