- Category
- Latest news
EU Warns Ukraine Over New Law That Could Undermine Anti-Corruption Agencies
- Authors
![Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk]( "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")
-72b63a4e0c8c475ad81fe3eed3f63729.jpeg "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")
The European Union has expressed concern over Ukraine’s recent actions regarding its anti-corruption institutions, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP), as stated by European Commission spokesperson Guillaume Mercy on July 22.
“These institutions (NABU and SAP) are crucial for Ukraine’s reform agenda and must operate independently to fight corruption and maintain public trust,” Mercy stated.
The European Commission highlighted that the EU provides significant financial support to Ukraine “on the condition of progress in transparency, judicial reform, and democratic governance,” reports Ukrainska Pravda.
Mercy also stressed: “For Ukraine’s accession to the EU, it is necessary to have a strong ability to fight corruption and ensure institutional resilience. The EU will continue to monitor the situation and support Ukraine in upholding the rule of law.”
Despite concerns surrounding recent actions by Ukraine’s government regarding the NABU and the SAP, the European Union has confirmed it is not considering halting its financial support for Ukraine regarding the NABU and the SAP, as was reported on July 22.
European Commission spokesperson Guillaume Mertens responded to a query from European Pravda, stating, “Currently, this issue is not being discussed.”
He further clarified that while multiple decision-making levels and oversight mechanisms are in place for Ukraine’s financial assistance, these safeguards are not expected to be activated at this stage.
“There are preventative mechanisms in place, but we’ll see if we ever reach that point,” Mertens added, reinforcing the EU’s commitment to supporting Ukraine amidst its ongoing reforms and challenges.
Earlier, the Ukrainian parliament has approved draft law No. 12414 in its entirety, which includes provisions that many view as potentially undermining the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP).
According to Ukrainian Member of Parliament Yaroslav Zheleznyak, the law would place their activities under the authority of the Prosecutor General’s Office.
