21.01.2026
“This reform is not about efficiency. It is an attempt to remove ‘inconvenient’ obstacles — open hearings and AMCU control — to make the Regulator obedient and manageable.”
Oleh Bakulin, a prominent lawyer and gas sector expert, believes the new legislative initiatives threaten market transparency. Instead of improving operations, the authors of the bills are attempting to isolate the NEURC from public influence and oversight bodies.
Threat to Dialogue
Bakulin emphasized that replacing face-to-face open discussions with “electronic consultations” is a step backward.
“Open discussions are the greatest achievement of the previous reform. I have repeatedly witnessed how, during live discussions, looking the Regulator in the eye, market participants proved the absurdity of certain norms, resulting in balanced decisions. Now they want to cancel this. This is done to remove ‘extra noise’ and make decisions in the silence of offices.”
Why Is This Being Done?
The expert is convinced that no real legal grounds exist for dissolving the current Commission, and the changes aim for a more submissive Regulator.
