oversight of the work of public authorities. Political parties agreed that by 25 May proposals on constitutional amendments will be finalised, with a Parliamentary session on constitutional reform to be held after this date. Further steps towards the delegation of broad powers to the local authorities are being made. On 23 April, the Government approved the first draft law “On cooperation of the territorial communities” that envisages five forms of possible cooperation within communities, based on an earlier Concept on the Reform of Local SelfGovernment and Territorial Organisation of Powers in Ukraine, approved on 1 April by the Cabinet of Ministers. 27. On 5 May, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk, submitted to the Parliament a draft law “On a national survey”, to be conducted on 25 May, the same day as the Presidential elections, on issues of concern for all Ukrainians: national unity, territorial integrity of the country and the decentralisation of power.20 On 6 May, Parliament decided not to adopt the initiative. Criminal Code amendments toughen sanctions for violations of territorial integrity 28. On 16 April, the acting President of Ukraine signed the Law "On amendments to the Criminal Code of Ukraine", which entered into force on 19 April. It includes provisions that increase penalties related to the encroachment and inviolability of the territorial integrity of Ukraine, as well as for high treason and the undermining of national security (Sabotage and espionage). Law on Lustration 29. On 7 April, approximately 150 activists of Maidan self-defence unit, the Right Sector and Auto-Maidan picketed, blocked and stormed the Supreme Court building, at the time of the scheduling of an extraordinary session of the Congress of Judges. The protesters along with Yegor Sobolev, head of the Lustration Public Committee of Maidan, demanded the lustration of judges and appointment of new ones. On 8 April, the Right Sector and AutoMaidan activists blocked the Parliament calling on its members to speed up the adoption of the lustration legislation. 30. On 8 April, the Parliament passed the Law “On the restoration of the credibility of the judiciary in Ukraine” (the Law on lustration of judges) with 234 votes21 and it entered into force on 10 May (while the proposed law on lustration for public servants was taken off the Parliamentary agenda). Its purpose is to strengthen the rule of law, to restore confidence in the judiciary, and to combat corruption in the courts through the dismissal of judges whose gross violations of professional and ethical standards have discredited the judiciary. The Law also determines the legal and organisational framework by which judges are to be vetted. It sets out the aim, objectives and timelines for the vetting of judges, as well as the bodies authorised to conduct these procedures, the content of the vetting, and the measures to be taken following the results of the vetting. According to the Law, the process of lustration is to be carried out by 20 The idea to conduct such survey was announced by Mr. Yatseniuk on 30 April during the opening of a session of the Government. He stated that, “in framework of the decentralisation of power, Ukrainian authorities are ready for the additional guarantees on the respective territory for the Russian-speaking population and other national minorities". 21 In total, there are 450 members of Parliament. 37 | P a g e