The Law of Ukraine
“On the Organization and Holding of the Final Part of the 2012 European Football Championship in Ukraine”
Date of entry into force: June 16, 2007
The present Law shall identify the system of key measures aimed at creating the needed conditions for the organization and holding of the final part of the 2012 European Football Championship in Ukraine (hereinafter referred to as the Championship), with due consideration for the significance of this event for the country’s economy and the international image of Ukraine.
Bodies that shall manage the process of organizing and holding the Championship in Ukraine shall include:
the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine;
the central body of executive power for ensuring the implementation of government policy in the area of physical training and sport;
the central body of executive power in the area of legal protection of intellectual property;
other central and local bodies of executive power and bodies of local governments;
the UEFA (the Union of European Football Associations);
the receiving associations (the Football Federation of Ukraine and the Polish Football Association);
the company (a department of the Union of European Football Associations set up according to the legislation of the Swiss Confederation that was entrusted with organizing and holding the Championship or some other legal entity that was registered in Ukraine according to the legislation and that was authorized by the Union of European Football Associations to implement organizational measures and to hold the Championship).
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine shall: guarantee the support and cooperation with the Union of European Football
Associations in issues related to the organization and holding of the Championship;
approve the annual comprehensive plan of measures to prepare and hold the Championship.
The central body of executive power for ensuring the implementation of government policy in the area of physical training and sport shall:
cooperate with the receiving associations, the Union of European Football Associations and the company with the aim to adhere to the requirements of the Union
of European Football Associations at the time of preparing and holding the Championship;
ensure the interconsistency of measures of ministries and other central bodies of executive power related to the preparation and holding of the Championship;
fulfill other functions envisaged by the legislation.
Within the limits of their competence, bodies of executive power and bodies of local governments shall provide for and/or promote and contribute to, in particular:
the circulation of tickets, the development of hotel and transport infrastructure, the allocation of advertisement areas and places, and so on;
the cooperation with the central body of executive power for ensuring the implementation of government policy in the area of physical training and sport, the receiving associations, the Union of European Football Associations, and appointed and assigned individuals.
For the purpose of quality preparation for holding the Championship, local bodies of executive power shall approve annual plans of measures for receiving cities for the preparation for the Championship that shall include, in particular:
the list of sports buildings and facilities with the indication of their state of preparation for the Championship;
the procedure for placing appointed and assigned individuals and tourist programs of receiving cities.
According to Article 5 of the present Law, expenditures related to preparing sports facilities (construction, expansion, reconstruction, or capital repairs) and other objects needed to hold the Championship shall be financed at the expense of their owners that provided the relevant guarantees for financial support, as well as from other sources that are not prohibited by the legislation. The central body of executive power for ensuring the implementation of government policy in the area of physical training and sport, as well as other bodies of executive power and local government within the limits of their competence shall facilitate the construction (expansion, reconstruction or capital repairs) of sports facilities and other objects needed to hold the Championship. Part 3 of Article 5 of the present Law shall specify that import duty shall not be paid at the time of importing (forwarding) to the customs territory of Ukraine goods (except for excisable goods) that are not manufactured in Ukraine or that are manufactured in Ukraine, but do no meet technical specifications at the world level and the requirements of international sports organizations for the purpose of using them in construction (capital repairs, reconstruction or expansion) and equipment (purchase of equipment and implements) of sports facilities that are envisaged by the relevant annual comprehensive plan of measures to prepare for and hold the Championship. The list and the volumes of such goods, as well as the procedure for overseeing their utilization shall be approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
The Union of European Football Associations and the commercial partner (an institution that the Union of European Football Associations shall entrust with commercial rights regarding the organization and holding of the Champion) shall have all rights with respect to intellectual property envisaged by Ukrainian laws. Ukraine shall guarantee the protection of intellectual
property rights and commercial rights according to Ukrainians laws and the effective international treaties and agreements that were recognized as mandatory by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. At the time of holding the Championship, it shall be prohibited:
to use directly or indirectly in any manner, without permission of the Union of European Football Associations, any name, any indication, as well as any sign or any other object of the intellectual property right of the Union of European Football Associations;
to carry out unauthorized marketing (a type of activity related to holding the Championship (in the area of marketing, advertisement or public relations) that is carried out with the aim to receive profits from the goodwill by an individual or entity that does not have the relevant permit of the Union of European Football Associations for this purpose).
Article 7 of the present Law shall establish that all foreigners and stateless individuals with valid passports or similar documents that arrive for the Championship as spectators shall receive visas and enter the territory of Ukraine without restrictions, except for the instances identified by the Law of Ukraine No. 3929-ХІІ “On the Legal Status of Foreigners and Stateless Individuals” of February 4, 1994. The application to receive a visa for entering the territory of Ukraine submitted by an individual in connection with the holding of the Championship shall be examined without any privileges or restrictions based on race, skin color, political, religious and other convictions and beliefs, sex, ethnic and social origin, property status, place of residence, language, and other features. Visas shall be issued free of charge to all appointed and assigned individuals with valid passports and similar documents who plan to enter the territory of Ukraine for the period up to four years before the beginning of the Championship or up to one year after the end of the Championship for the purpose of fulfilling their functions with respect to organizing and holding the Championship, unless otherwise is envisaged by international treaties and agreements of Ukraine.
Temporary rules for the transfer of foreign currency and checks in foreign currency through the customs border of Ukraine, for the transfer of foreign currency to Ukraine or from Ukraine, as well as for the exchange of foreign currency shall be established by the National Bank of Ukraine (Article 8 of the present Law). Foreigners and stateless individuals that enter Ukraine during the period when the Championship is held shall have the right to import to Ukraine cash foreign currency and traveler’s checks in foreign currency for the total amount that does not exceed USD 30,000.00 or an equivalent of this amount in some other foreign currency according to the official exchange rate of the hryvnia against foreign currencies established by the National Bank of Ukraine on the date of crossing the customs border. Foreign currency and traveler’s checks in foreign currency in the amount that does not exceed USD 10,000.00 or an equivalent of this amount in some other foreign currency shall be imported to Ukraine and exported from Ukraine on condition of oral declaration of such an amount to customs bodies. Foreign currency and traveler’s checks in foreign currency in the amount that exceeds USD 10,000.00 or an equivalent of this amount in some other foreign currency shall be imported to Ukraine and exported from Ukraine on condition of filling up a written customs declaration for the entire amount of foreign currency and traveler’s checks in foreign currency that is being imported (exported). Foreigners and stateless individuals that enter Ukraine during the period when the Championship is held shall have the right to freely import to Ukraine and export from Ukraine registered checks in foreign currency, payment cards of international payment systems, to effectuate transactions with the help of them, in particular, to receive cash, to transfer beyond the borders of Ukraine foreign currency that was
imported or transferred to Ukraine, received in Ukraine with the help of payment cards, registered and traveler’s checks, in the form of premiums, bonuses, prizes, labor remuneration, and so on received in Ukraine. Cash foreign currency imported to Ukraine by foreigners and stateless individuals may be freely exchanged into hryvnias (in cash offices of authorized banks and foreign currency exchange points). In the instance of not using Ukrainian currency, foreigners and stateless individuals may effectuate reverse exchange of cash resources into cash foreign currency for further export of such foreign currency, provided they have documents confirming the effectuation of such an exchange operation or transfer the above- mentioned money beyond the borders of Ukraine (provided they have documents confirming the sources of their origin).
National and local taxes and duties shall not be collected from transactions effectuated by appointed and assigned individuals to exchange foreign currency and to import to Ukraine and to export from Ukraine cash resources in connection with the holding of the Championship (Article 9 of the present Law). According to Article 10 of the present Law, tickets for a football match at the time of holding the Championship shall be sold upon the presentation of an identification document with mandatory indication of the name and last name of the relevant individual, as well as the presented document and its number in the ticket. The right to sell, to transfer and to use tickets for any event of the Union of European Football Associations shall belong to the relevant assigned or appointed individual. It shall be prohibited for an individual that was not appointed or assigned by the Union of European Football Associations to sell, to offer for sale or to display for sale tickets for a football match.
Item 1 of part 2 of Article 12 “Final Provisions” of the present Law shall supplement: Chapter ХІ “Final and Transitional Provisions” of the Civil Procedural Code of
Ukraine with a new item 22. This new item shall specify that, at the time of organizing and holding the final part of the 2012 European Football Championship in Ukraine, a court shall resolve cases on the violation of intellectual property rights of the Union of European Football Associations within a seven-day period, without holding a preliminary judicial sitting;
part 1 of Article 19 of the Law of Ukraine No. 2097-ХІІ “On the Unified Customs Tariff” of February 5, 1992, with a new item. This new item shall specify that, during the period from January 1, 2008, to September 1, 2012, goods (except for excisable goods) that are not manufactured in Ukraine or that are manufactured in Ukraine, but do no meet technical specifications at the world level and the requirements of international sports organizations and that are imported to the customs territory of Ukraine according to part 3 of Article 5 of the present Law shall be exempted from import duty.