Mykola Katerynchuk


Mykola Dmytrovych Katerynchuk is a Ukrainian politician and lawyer who served as a People's Deputy of Ukraine from 2002 to 2014. The chairman of the European Party of Ukraine.

Early life and career

Katerynchuk was born on 19 November 1967 in the village of, in what is now Russia's Altai Krai and what was then part of the Soviet Union. He served in the Soviet Army from 1985 to 1987, fighting in the Soviet–Afghan War. In one instance, he escaped death after he was ordered off a helicopter due to it being overloaded. The helicopter was shot down by members of the mujahideen shortly after taking off, and Katerynchuk later credited the experience with both leading him to be religious and giving him an interest in improving the lives of others.
From 1988 to 1993 Katerynchuk studied at the faculty of law of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. He completed his dissertation in 2001. From 1992 to 1995 he was a legal consultant to INKO Bank in Kyiv, and he was a founder and attorney at Moor and Krosondovich, a Kyiv-based law firm, from 1995 until his election as People's Deputy. From 2007 to 2009 he studied at the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, graduating with a Master of Business Economics.

Political career

Katernychuk was first elected as a People's Deputy of Ukraine in the 2002 Ukrainian parliamentary election, when he was elected to Ukraine's 13th electoral district in Vinnytsia Oblast as an independent. Following his election, he joined the Our Ukraine party. He was re-elected on the proportional list of the Our Ukraine Bloc in 2006 and 2007 before once again serving from the 13th electoral district from 2012 to 2014, this time as a member of Batkivshchyna.
Katerynchuk was the Petro Poroshenko Bloc's candidate in the 13th electoral district during the 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election. He was defeated by independent Petro Yurchyshyn by a margin of 3.5%.
After declaring support for the candidature of Anatoliy Hrytsenko in the 2019 Ukrainian presidential election Katerynchuk became Hrytsenko's legal advisor in Hrytsenko's election headquarters.
In the July 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election Katerynchuk is placed in the top five in the top ten of the party list of Civil Position. But the party did not win any seats.

Leadership in the European party of Ukraine

On 14 December 2006, Upon the invitation of the Organizing Committee of the European Movement of Ukraine over 500 representatives of different civic movements, organizations, small and medium business enterprises, students, teachers, state employees and political leaders gathered in Kyiv to found the liberal political party the European Party of Ukraine. Mykola Katerynchuk was unanimously elected the Leader of the Party. In 2013 the number of members is over 5,000. By July 2013 the European party is represented in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, in the Kyiv City Council and in local self-government councils.

Public activities

Since 2002 - initiated the Social Program "People's Attorney" in his electoral district in Vinnytsia oblast during the Parliamentary elections. The aim is to provide free legal assistance to Ukrainian citizens. In July 2012 function 26 offices in 9 different regions of Ukraine, Kyiv and also one office in Hannover. Since the first day, the program has helped 55 thousands of citizens.
2005 - established the Tax Club that united representatives of small and medium businesses, lawyers and economists. As a result of their interaction, a draft of the Tax Code was created to simplify doing business in Ukraine and fiscal policy as a whole. Several times a bill was introduced to Parliament. Though the Azarov's Tax Code was adopted that led to the mass protest in 2010.

International political activities

2009:
2010:
2011:
2012:
2013:

Awards

2007: State Order "For Perfect Service" of the third level