Taras Ryabchenko, the ILI analyst, took part in the public discussion of the reform of the Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA) at the Ukraine Crisis Media Centre

‘Transferring functions from ARMA to other institutions is inappropriate, as it will take a very long period, a long transition period. And it should be understood that Ukraine cannot afford it. In times of war, this can be destabilizing and requires significant financial, time, and human resources. In this aspect, ARMA should remain, but at the same time, the agency needs changes from within and without,’ said Taras Ryabchenko.

In particular, the following aspects should be taken into account in the context of ARMA's performance:

• The competition for the head of ARMA should be held as soon as possible. It is inadequate that the acting head has been appointed for 4 years.
• The property management function needs to be strengthened. On the one hand, this means legislative changes aimed at removing barriers in the ARMA law. On the other hand, ARMA's internal work should be aimed at openness in the selection of managers (so that there are no questions about why a particular manager was chosen).
• Information about Russian and Belarusian assets should be open and accessible, without violating the law.
• Liquidating ARMA now would result in a loss of time and human and material resources, but ARMA needs to be fundamentally changed.

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