A total of 265 MPs out of 421 registered in the parliament backed at first reading the said bill on amending the law "On state secrets" on Friday.
The bill proposes to amend the clauses regarding the activity of the state experts in the area of secrets; regarding the procedure for the official opening of regulatory legal acts containing state secrets; and on the procedure for granting or refusing citizens access to state secrets.
In particular, it is proposed by the bill to specify that the decision to classify information as a state secret, the prolongation of the validity of the previous decision on classifying information as state secret, changing the level of secrecy of the information shall be made by state experts in the area of secrets within one month of the receipt of an application from a the state body, local body, enterprise, institution, organization or citizen.
According to the bill, such decisions are subject to special registration with the Security Service of Ukraine and are the basis for the formation of the Data Code making the state secret.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) shall determine the procedure for the special registration of the decisions by state experts in the area of secrecy.
According to the bill, the access to state secrets may be given by the SBU to citizens of Ukraine aged above 18 who need such an access due to their official, industrial, scientific or technical activity or education after their verification, in a procedure drawn up by the SBU.
