EU Commission: Ukraine’s New Law Restores Independence but Reform Still Incomplete

The European Commission believes that draft law No. 13533, adopted by the Ukrainian Parliament (Verkhovna Rada) on July 31, restores the basic guarantees of independence for anti-corruption bodies, but does not complete the reform in this field.

The Gaze reports on it, referring to European Pravda.

“With regard to today's vote, which just took place in the Verkhovna Rada, the Rada has restored key safeguards ensuring the independence of anti-corruption bodies,” said European Commission spokesman Guillaume Mercier.

He expressed the EU's positive attitude toward the recently adopted law, which guarantees the independence of anti-corruption agencies in Ukraine.

“In our opinion, the new law addresses the main issues related to the independence of NABU and SAPO,” Mercier said.

Nevertheless, the European Union believes that this was an extremely necessary but insufficient step in the fight against corruption and the implementation of all essential reforms.

“However, I want to emphasize that this is not the end of the process. Ukraine's accession to the EU will require ongoing efforts to ensure effective capacity to fight corruption and uphold the rule of law,” the European Commission spokesman stressed.

He also stated that the European Union expects Ukraine to swiftly fulfill its commitments regarding the rule of law and is prepared to support this process.

As The Gaze reported earlier, the Ukrainian Parliament has approved a bill to restore the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO).