Denys Ulutin: We Must Make the Minimum Subsistence Level a Real Social Guarantee

A round table discussion was held in Kyiv - ”The Minimum Subsistence Level in Ukraine: How to Turn It into a Real Social Guarantee”. The event was focused on discussing the current model for calculating the minimum subsistence level in Ukraine and creating the conditions necessary for its gradual increase.

The roundtable was jointly organized by the Ministry of Social Policy, Family and Unity of Ukraine, and the Council of Europe.

The event brought together representatives of state authorities, parliament, the judiciary, experts from the Council of Europe, civil society organizations, and academia. Josef Hajdu, an international consultant for the Council of Europe and member of the European Committee of Social Rights, prepared and presented an analytical report commissioned by the Ministry of Social Policy entitled “Definition and Application of the Minimum Subsistence Level: Standards of the Council of Europe and the European Union.”

It was presented and prepared by József Hajdú, international consultant to the Council of Europe and member of the European Committee of Social Rights.

According to Denys Ulyutin, Minister of Social Policy, Family and Unity of Ukraine, this study serves as a practical roadmap for updating Ukraine's system of fundamental social guarantees.

“The minimum subsistence level in Ukraine must become a real social guarantee. The gradual decoupling of more than 180 types of payments from the minimum subsistence level will be one of the key elements of this process,” emphasized Minister Ulyutin.

The Minister noted that there is currently a significant gap between the legislatively defined and the actual minimum subsistence level, which calls for an updated approach to its determination.

“The issue of the minimum subsistence level lies at the heart of social justice and human dignity. For the Council of Europe, it is directly linked to the standards enshrined in the European Social Charter. By ratifying Article 30 of the Charter, Ukraine has committed to upholding these standards and ensuring protection against poverty and social exclusion both in law and in practice. The Council of Europe will continue to support Ukraine in implementing social protection reforms in line with the Charter’s standards, particularly regarding the reform of the minimum subsistence level and the development of Ukraine’s Social Code,” said Hilde Haug, Deputy Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine.

The second direction of the reform, according to the Minister, involves updating the methodology for calculating the minimum subsistence level. The Ministry of Social Policy is developing options for transitioning to a normative-structural method that takes into account individual needs and includes both food and non-food components.

Minister Ulyutin also noted that several draft laws currently under consideration in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine aim to decouple the minimum subsistence level from salaries and fines. Their implementation will lay the foundation for a gradual increase in this indicator and restore its true purpose as a genuine social benchmark.

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