EU Signals Ongoing Aid After Kyiv Restores Anti-Corruption Agencies’ Independence

The European Union will continue its financial support for Ukraine following the state’s approval of legislation that safeguards the independence of key anti-corruption institutions, which is a crucial condition for ongoing EU aid and Kyiv’s broader integration into the EU.

The Gaze reports this, referring to European Pravda.

Responding to European Pravda’s inquiry, European Commission spokesperson Guillaume Mercier confirmed that Brussels has no intention of freezing financial aid to Ukraine in light of recent legislative developments.

“We have clearly outlined our position. I can confirm that there are no plans to freeze EU funding,” Mercier said.

His remarks come after the Verkhovna Rada on Wednesday adopted presidential draft law No. 13533, which reaffirms the institutional autonomy of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO). 

The legislation reverses provisions passed just days earlier that were widely criticized as undermining the independence of these agencies by increasing the influence of the Prosecutor General.

That earlier bill No. 124214 drew sharp rebukes from Brussels and prompted quiet but firm diplomatic warnings to Kyiv. 

In his comments Thursday, Mercier emphasized that the independence of anti-corruption institutions remains “of utmost importance,” and reiterated that Ukraine must stay the course on rule-of-law reforms if it wants to secure long-term support from its Western allies.

As The Gaze reported earlier, 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.