The European Commission assessed the work of the Verkhovna Rada and the fight against corruption in a report on Ukraine: what needs to be changed
Kyiv • UNN
The European Commission noted Ukraine's progress in fighting corruption and the work of anti-corruption bodies. The Commission provided recommendations to strengthen the HACC and protect civil society activists.
Ukraine has a certain level of training in fighting corruption. Also, the Verkhovna Rada continued to fulfill its legislative function under martial law, ensuring an uninterrupted democratic decision-making process. UNN reports this with reference to the European Commission's report on Ukraine.
The European Commission has noted that Ukraine has a certain level of preparation in preventing and combating corruption.
"It has made some progress, in particular by strengthening its anti-corruption institutional framework and gradually gaining experience in investigating, prosecuting and adjudicating high-level corruption cases," the report says.
It is also noted that Ukraine has strengthened the independence and institutional capacity of the SAPO, NABU, and NAPC by increasing staff. This has helped specialized anti-corruption agencies become more effective and achieve a significant level of high-level enforcement in corruption cases.
The European Commission also noted that Ukraine, in particular, needs to, among other things, take steps to:
- Increase the number of judges of the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) and increase the number of administrative staff;
- Continue efforts to further improve the results of high-level corruption cases, including the seizure and confiscation of criminal assets, focusing on high-level and serious cases involving systemic corruption in most relevant sectors and institutions;
- remove existing obstacles that hinder these efforts;
The European Commission noted that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine continued to fulfill its legislative function, ensuring an uninterrupted democratic decision-making process.
Key decisions, especially on defense and security issues, were made by a cross-party majority.
At the same time, the European Commission notes that there are restrictions on the rights of the opposition, as it cannot fully perform its functions. In particular, this applies to cases of unjustified bans on foreign business trips for opposition MPs.
In addition, the European Commission noted that while civil society organizations (CSOs) in Ukraine continue to operate in a favorable environment, reports of pressure on activists and civil society organizations are worrying.
"The Ukrainian authorities must take swift and decisive action to bring those responsible to justice, impose sanctions and, where necessary, strengthen existing mechanisms to protect civil society activists," the European Commission emphasized.
