We have the pleasure the present you the second of the series of our policy papers that we will be publishing in the near future. The publication discusses the issue of Gold-plating – the process where an EU directive is given additional powers when being transposed into the national laws of member states. Enjoy your reading!

Is there a difference between a starting entrepreneur and a disabled person? Yes, there is, and it’s a big one. A disabled person has much fewer options if he or she wants to get a government aid compared to a starting entrepreneur. I remembered this joke when I was reading one of the government strategies. But the joke may soon become a reality if the government decides to implement it. And that’s not funny at all.

In March, Ukraine’s government adopted the Action plan for reforms in 2015 and 2016 while the IMF board approved four-year USD 17.5 bn extended arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF). The EFF supports ambitious program of Ukrainian authorities, which would in IMF words ‘put the economy on the path to recovery, restore external sustainability, strengthen public finances, and support economic growth by advancing structural and governance reforms, while protecting the most vulnerable’.

On Monday, April 13, 2015, Vit Jedlička, a Czech politician and a liberal economist, put up the flag and established a new sovereign state called Liberland on the territory of former Yugoslavia. On the 7 square kilometers of Terra Nullius claimed by none of its neighbouring countries (Serbia, Croatia) the liberal values shall take reign.