From e-check to e-consignment note: TOP-5 business requirements that the state undertakes to implement
6 November 21:35
Digitalization of agricultural documents and eB/L, revision of requirements for automatic fire extinguishing systems, and a national electronic fiscal check are some of the issues that concern Ukrainian business. A full list of them was announced by Economy Minister Oleksiy Sobolev in an interview with Forbes Ukraine, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
He explained that the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture has collected more than 300,000 responses on the Pulse digital platform, a single channel of feedback between entrepreneurs and the state.
“Based on the array of appeals, about 50 areas of change have already been identified and working groups have been set up to prepare legislative and governmental decisions,” said Soboliev.
How it works
“Pulse was launched in beta mode in July 2024 as a tool for quick dialog with business and transparent tracking of regulatory issues. The data flows into two “funnels”:
- local issues are left for processing in regional military administrations (RMAs);
- issues requiring decisions by the central government are sent by the system to the relevant ministries.
The key “filling” is an AI-based module that automatically categorizes comments and suggestions by topic, removing manual bottlenecks in processing tens of thousands of requests. Starting in September 2024, users will be able to vote for the most pressing issues, making them a priority for the Ministry of Economy and regulators.
Who is behind the initiative
The idea to create Pulse was initiated by the Government’s Council of Entrepreneurs. The concept and technical implementation were developed by monobank co-founder Oleg Gorokhovsky and Netpeak Group founder Artem Borodatiuk. The Government Business Technology Entrepreneurs configuration initially focused the platform on practical results: a focus on metrics, transparency, and a public feedback cycle.
Top business inquiries: what hurts Ukrainian entrepreneurs the most
Based on the results of the classification of requests, a short list of priorities was formed that were most often raised by entrepreneurs:
1. Technical inspection of heavy and technological transport. Businesses ask to cancel duplication of regulations that create unnecessary costs and delays in operations.
2. National electronic fiscal check. A request for a unified e-check as a way to simplify sales accounting, reduce the cost of cash infrastructure, and reduce reporting errors.
3. Declarative principle of high-risk permits. A proposal to transfer a number of permitting procedures to the notification/declaration format with further risk-based control, instead of preliminary multi-week approvals.
4. Revision of requirements for automatic fire extinguishing systems. The business considers a number of requirements to be excessively expensive and disproportionate to the risks, proposing a risk-based approach and flexible standards.
5. Full digitalization of agricultural documents and eB/L. The market is waiting for the completion of the transition to the electronic consignment note and comprehensive digitalization of agricultural document flow to reduce transaction costs.
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What is already in the work of the relevant ministry
The Ministry of Economy has formed about 50 thematic tracks where interagency groups work. The output is “packages” of changes: draft laws and regulations that should reduce bureaucracy, reduce the time and cost of compliance, and introduce digital alternatives to paper procedures. Local cases are processed by the CAB in parallel, with mandatory feedback to applicants through Pulse.
For entrepreneurs, the main value of this approach is the visible route of an application: from publication on the platform to the status of processing by a specific authority, with prioritization by market voices.
For regulators, the advantage is that the data is large-scale, showing where the regulatory burden actually hinders operations and investment. For example, if thousands of companies complain about the same regulation, it is a signal for an immediate audit and restart.
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The ministry plans to turn top requests into specific regulatory packages and launch public timelines for their passage in the near future. For business, the practical value of the Pulse will grow as the share of processes digitized increases: e-check, e-B/L, declarative permits, risk-based control instead of paper approvals. This reduces compliance costs, shortens time to market and increases the predictability of the rules of the game.
It should be noted that the Pulse platform does not abolish regulations by itself. It prioritizes and speeds up the decision-making cycle, but the result depends on the quality of the work done in ministries and parliament. The discipline of feedback is also important: without regular information on the status of initiatives, business confidence can sag. Another area of risk is interagency coordination, particularly when regulation crosses several jurisdictions.
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