EU urges Ukraine to further fight corruption despite policy U-turn
On Thursday, the two senior officials of the European Union urged Ukraine to make other efforts in the fight against corruption after the Ukrainian Parliament adopted a law restoring the independence of two anti-corruption agencies.
President Volodymyr Zelensky presented the bill after people from major Ukrainian cities demonstrated a previous law which had been in a hurry by parliament.
The president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the president of the European Council António Costa declared that Zelensky signed on the new law “is a welcome step”, in a joint position shared on X.
“The rule of law of Ukraine and anti-corruption reforms should continue. They remain essential to the progress of Ukraine on the European path. The EU will continue to support these efforts,” they wrote.
The previous law, adopted on Wednesday of last week, actually placed the National Anti-Corruption Office and the Office of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor under the authority of the Attorney General.
The pressure on Zelensky of Western countries and including the European Union would have been decisive in the change of the law.
Reacting to the vote, a spokesman for the European Commission said earlier Thursday that the Ukrainian Parliament “had restored key guarantees guaranteeing the independence of the anti-corruption bodies”.
Thursday, the kyiv parliamentary session was broadcast live on television.
The new law restores the independence of the two anti-corruption authorities. However, employees with access to state secrets will have to undergo regular lies detection in the future. They will be questioned about a possible collaboration with Russia, which invaded Ukraine about three and a half years ago.
The two bodies were created in 2015 to combat corruption and nepotism among state representatives and high -ranking politicians.
Following the requests of the Western allies, Ukraine has created a network of organizations to combat corruption.
Despite this, the country remains one of the most corrupt in Europe, according to the non -governmental organization Transparency International.
On Thursday, the Commission warned kyiv that the revised law “is not the end of the process” but urged the authorities to continue to fight against corruption.
“Ukraine’s membership [to the EU] will require continuous efforts to guarantee a strong capacity to combat corruption and to respect the rule of law, “said a spokesperson for the Commission.
“We expect Ukraine to quickly fly these commitments and make decisive measures on the rule of law.”
