OREANDA-NEWS. At the beginning of the session, Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine Valeriia Gontareva congratulated the Public Council members on commencing their work and expressed confidence that their joint efforts would result in putting in place an efficient mechanism to protect the rights of consumers of banking services.

“There is an urgent need to maintain a regular liaison between the regulator and the members of society to ensure that public needs are met. However, it is important to avoid populist measures as attempts to undermine the country's economic stability under the present conditions could lead to severe repercussions. That is why it is a good sign that we have got an opportunity to embark on a path of constructive dialogue, with street debates giving way to civilised dialogue. I hope that the Public Council will keep the regulator informed about the hopes and aspirations of the public and become a key ally of the National Bank of Ukraine in its efforts to deliver reliable information on the activities of the central bank and the operation of the banking system to the public," said Valeriia Gontareva.

Valeriia Gontareva reminded that the IMF mission had been working in Ukraine since June 24, 2014 to assess Ukraine's progress in implementing the Stand-By Arrangement entered into between Ukraine and the IMF and expressed confidence about a continuation of fruitful cooperation with this international institution.

In the course of the session, the Public Council members addressed a number of important issues. Among other things, the election of the Public Council's management team was included on the agenda. The decision to elect Yaroslav Avramenko (public organisation “Truthful country”) and Stanislav Arzhevitin (“Association of Ukrainian banks”) as two co-chairs of the Public Council was supported by the majority of votes.

The Regulation governing activities of the Public Council, its rules of procedure, the Action Plan and ways to address issues of concern were high on the agenda. The meeting participants scheduled the next session of the Public Council for late July.

In turn, the Public Council members thanked the Governor of the National Bank for placing her trust and confidence in the ability of this institution to defend the interests of banks' customers and help resolve the issues of concern related to deposits, mortgage, etc.