In the second quarter of 2026, the Research Service of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine provided information and analytical support for Parliament’s European integration activities.

During the reporting period, analytical notes on comparative legislation were prepared on the following issues:

-mechanisms for protecting the rights of creditors and borrowers;

-the submission of integrity questionnaires by candidates for civil service positions;

-the assessment of civil servants’ performance;

-the establishment of candidate pools and personnel reserves in the civil service;

-career advancement for civil servants in European Union Member States;

-internal competitions for civil service positions in European Union Member States;

-fixed-term appointments to civil service positions;

-railway reform in the context of opening the rail transport market in the Baltic States following their accession to the European Union;

-the legal regulation of trade at fairs in European Union Member States;

-public consultations conducted by European parliamentarians;

-gender impact assessments of draft legislation in European Union Member States and Canada;

-lobbying activities;

-the regulation of harbour master services in the context of implementing Directive 2009/16/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 on port State control;

-the keeping of dogs tethered or in enclosures in European Union Member States;

-the breeding of domestic animals in European Union Member States.

Parliamentary studies covered the following issues:

-the legal regulation of green finance and responsible investment;

-gender assessment of European Union and EU Member State legislation;

-the legislative regulation of the use of artificial intelligence technologies;

-the civilian circulation of firearms;

-the legislative and institutional framework for combating organised crime in Ukraine;

-the legal nature of an apparent conflict of interest;

-the legislative framework for ensuring the quality and safety standards of donated blood and blood components in Ukraine, the European Union and selected European countries;

-the legal regulation of the prohibition of discrimination in Ukraine in the context of implementing the measures set out in the Roadmap on the Rule of Law;

-European Union and Council of Europe standards on the protection and processing of personal data in law enforcement activities.

Review dossiers were prepared on foreign approaches to the taxation of household income, as well as on the legal regime governing water resources and land associated with water bodies in the European Union, with particular reference to France and Slovakia.

Informational references addressed draft laws on political parties (registration Nos. 14289 and 14289-1); the alignment of the Civil Code of Ukraine with EU law and the European Payments Council’s criteria with a view to Ukraine’s accession to SEPA (registration No. 14326); and improvements to the functioning of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, including the introduction of disciplinary liability for its judges (registration Nos. 14321 and 14321-1).

Separate materials focused on the agenda of the 12th round of the Jean Monnet Dialogues for Peace and Democracy; the advisability of temporarily derogating from drinking water quality standards under Draft Law No. 13578; measures to promote foreign investment and develop effective lending mechanisms; current trends in safeguarding the independence of judges and the judiciary in Ukraine in 2024–2025; the implementation of the EU acquis in the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine; the reform of judicial and prosecutorial self-governing bodies in line with the recommendations of the European Commission; the experience of European countries in developing legal and strategic frameworks for CBRN security; the digitalisation of the justice system and its alignment with EU law; European Union transport policy; state oversight of transactions involving agricultural land; improvements to the legal framework for gender-responsive budgeting; the legal limits on the use of artificial intelligence in the EU sports sector; and the legal regulation of domestic animal breeding in the European Union and selected EU Member States.

The preparation and publication of information and analytical materials continued. As part of the Guide to Current Public Policy Issues series, the Guide to Ukrainian Legislation on CBRN Security was prepared. Regular publications included three issues of the EU Acquis Guide (Eurodigest), providing overviews of European Union legal acts for March, April, and May 2026; three issues of the Guide to Judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union (Eurodigest), covering judgments delivered in March, April, and May 2026; and the Guide to the Ukraine Facility Plan, presenting an overview of developments in the first and second quarters of 2026.

Educational and expert activities remained an important area of work. Webinars were held on the role of judicial and prosecutorial self-governing bodies, e-justice, EU transport policy, media law, and the direct effect of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. These events were organised in cooperation with the European Parliamentary Research Service, the INTER PARES programme, the EU-funded Pravo-Justice and Ukraine2EU projects, the University of Genoa in Italy, and Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary.

In cooperation with the National Commission on Radiation Protection of the Population of Ukraine and with the support of the Hanns Seidel Foundation in Ukraine, an expert discussion entitled “Regulation of CBRN Security in Ukraine: Legal Frameworks and European Integration Approaches” was held. The discussion focused on improving national legislation in line with European Union standards and practices.

International and interinstitutional cooperation continued to expand. In April 2026, representatives of the Research Service undertook a study visit to the research unit of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova. The visit provided an opportunity to exchange experience in preparing information and analytical materials and ensuring their quality, using databases and digital platforms, and developing the professional competencies of parliamentary research staff.

In May 2026, a delegation of the Research Service undertook a working visit to Bulgaria, Greece, Albania, North Macedonia, and Romania to study the experience of parliamentary research services and analytical institutions in aligning national legislation with EU law, providing information and analytical support for law-making, delivering professional training, conducting strategic foresight, and fostering interinstitutional cooperation.

These activities contributed to strengthening information and analytical support for the European integration and law-making activities of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, enhancing the professional competencies of participants in the legislative process, promoting the adoption of European best practices, and deepening international cooperation.