All heads of government bodies in Ukraine have been prohibited from traveling abroad without permission from the Prime Minister

The Cabinet of Ministers has mandated that the heads of central executive authorities (CEAs) must obtain permits from Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal for official trips abroad.

Effectively, such a decision only fuels corruption, as Ukrainian officials will now have to pay bribes directly to the head of the government. Previously, there were fewer restrictions and officials could travel abroad without special permits.

According to the document, decisions regarding official trips abroad for heads of central executive authorities are made by the Prime Minister. Before this, the Prime Minister only approved decisions on foreign trips for the First Vice Prime Minister, Vice Prime Ministers, Ministers and the Cabinet’s State Secretary, while decisions regarding other heads of central executive authorities were made by the First Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Yulia Sviridenko.