The Better Regulation Delivery Office (BRDO) in Ukraine has launched an Inspection Portal Web Service (www.ias.brdo.com.ua) – a pilot module for an online service and risk-management tool that will transform Ukraine’s business inspection system and interactions between state inspections and businesses, increase transparency for Ukrainian entrepreneurs and investors, and provide oversight opportunities for civil society.
The BRDO is funded by the European Union within the framework of the FORBIZ project and the EU4Business Initiative, with the aim of simplifying the process of doing business and providing effective state regulation in key sectors of the economy.
The new platform provides:
- all inspection plans online
- all regulations and business requirements for inspections in one place
- all results of inspections, sanctions and appeal results online
In the first 10 days of operation the platform had more than 50,000 users.
Inspection plans
In an interview with GolosUA, the BRDO Head and representative of the advisory group to the Cabinet of Ministers, Oleksiy Honcharuk, explained the service: “Today ias.brdo.com.ua even allows you know what inspections are planned for the next year. We plan that this system will also allow people to be aware of the effects of inspections conducted. For example, a Krivoy Rog enterprise was inspected, and you can see on the website what violations were found. In addition, we believe that the system will increase the level of public control over activities of a potentially dangerous and risky enterprise.”
Oleksiy Honcharuk specified that the website database contains only information that can be available to the public.
“This system works with open data, there is no closed information. We will continue publish all the information, which is not closed according to the law, at ias.brdo.com.ua. However, if some information is an enterprise’s commercial secret under the law, we will not include it in these systems.”
Greater transparency
According to the Head of the Better Regulation Delivery Office, this online database with a schedule of inspections is created for the purpose of ensuring the transparency of activities of inspection bodies and establishing communication with enterprises.
“Our goal is to create a website that will contain an exhaustive list of information about what can be done in entrepreneurial activities. Entrepreneurs just need to visit the website, answer a series of clarifying questions, and the system will provide them with all necessary information on their area of activities. In such a way, business owners will clearly understand what the state wants from them… I believe that if entrepreneurs understand what they are being asked for, why they need to manage risks and that managing risks is profitable, they will do it on their own,” he said.
Honcharuk admitted that Ukrainian entrepreneurs have been working in conditions where the state’s requirements on their activities were not completely clear and not always justified, till the end of 2017.
Rules are not clear for businesses
“As a rule, business owners do not know what they are asked for. Let’s say, you have a kindergarten and are confident that you know all the rules for running this type of business. Until inspectors visit you… When an inspector visits you, you will learn about many new things that you have to do. Sometimes it is impossible to implement these ‘new things’, because the requirements are not only cumbersome, but also are not properly specified. In addition, there are also many outdated requirements. For example, in Ukraine, kindergartens are required to subscribe to some newspapers on a mandatory basis. Excuse me, but who needs this in the 21st century?” Oleksiy Honcharuk said.