Ukraine's cabinet submits four EU/IMF-linked reform bills to unlock €1.45 billion tranche
Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers approved and sent to the Verkhovna Rada four draft laws tied to the country's obligations to the EU and IMF. The bills are a condition for receiving the third tranche of EU macro-financial assistance worth €1.45 billion and cover VAT administration, transfer pricing, capital markets, and the High Anti-Corruption Court. Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi announced the submission and said joint work by government and parliament is needed to secure a significant portion of $29.5 billion in expected partner assistance.
Key points
- Cabinet submitted four draft laws to the Verkhovna Rada on September 3, 2026
- Their adoption is a condition for the third tranche of EU macro-financial assistance, worth €1.45 billion
- Bill 1 simplifies VAT administration for individual entrepreneurs (FOPs) and raises the threshold for unscheduled VAT-related inspections from UAH 100,000 to UAH 1 million
- Bill 2 aligns Ukraine's transfer pricing rules with OECD and EU standards
- Bill 3 proposes merging key capital market institutions into a holding structure and attracting a strategic international investor via open competition
- Bill 4 introduces single-judge consideration in the High Anti-Corruption Court for civil asset-recovery and sanctions-related administrative cases
- Prime Minister Koretskyi also held a meeting with an IMF mission led by Gavin Gray
Why it matters
The four bills are formal conditions for the third tranche of EU macro-financial assistance, worth €1.45 billion. Beyond that tranche, adoption is tied to a much larger envelope — roughly $29.5 billion in partner assistance that Ukraine expects this budget cycle. Because the package spans tax administration, transfer pricing, capital market restructuring, and anti-corruption court efficiency, it is also a structural benchmark under Ukraine's IMF program, meaning progress on the bills directly affects the next program review.
What happened
On September 3, 2026, the Cabinet of Ministers approved four draft laws and submitted them to the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament. Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi announced the move publicly. The first bill simplifies VAT administration for individual entrepreneurs (FOPs) and raises the threshold for unscheduled inspections related to budget VAT refunds and negative VAT from UAH 100,000 to UAH 1 million. The second brings transfer pricing rules into line with OECD and EU standards. The third proposes consolidating key capital market institutions into a holding structure and bringing in a strategic international investor through an open competition. The fourth aims to make the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) more efficient by allowing single-judge consideration of civil cases involving recognition and recovery of unjustified assets, and of administrative cases involving sanctions. Koretskyi separately met with an IMF mission led by Gavin Gray. Earlier in the same week, President Volodymyr Zelensky had publicly criticized MPs for failing to pass three prior bills that he said could have unlocked more than $4 billion, and urged decisions on which roughly $30 billion in partner aid depends.
Background
In February 2026, the European Parliament and the EU Council adopted a regulation establishing the Ukraine Support Loan of up to €90 billion for 2026–2027, with €8.35 billion of macro-financial assistance planned for 2026 in three tranches. The European Commission disbursed the first tranche of €3.2 billion in June 2026. Conditions attached to the funds are set out in an EU–Ukraine memorandum of understanding signed in May 2026, which requires Kyiv to implement agreed structural reforms and to preserve democratic institutions and anti-corruption mechanisms. Cooperation with the IMF continues in parallel, with part of international assistance dependent on Ukraine passing the next review of its IMF program. Earlier in the same week, President Zelensky publicly criticized the Verkhovna Rada for failing to pass three draft laws that he said could have brought Ukraine more than $4 billion, and called for action on bills tied to roughly $30 billion in partner support.