Multiple European Union countries have responded to Ukraine’s adoption of Law No. 12414, which limits the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP). The law was adopted on July 22.
As reported by Sky News, French Minister for European Affairs, Benjamin Haddad, commented that the situation regarding the limitation of NABU and SAP’s independence “can still be saved.”
“It is not too late to revert this. We will be extremely vigilant on this matter,” he said.
Valdis Dombrovskis, the EU economy commissioner responsible for overseeing financial assistance to Ukraine, emphasized the importance of NABU and SAP, in an interview with the Financial Times.
He stated that both agencies “are crucial to Ukraine’s reform agenda and they must operate independently to fight corruption and to maintain public trust.”
“Our current financial assistance to Ukraine is conditional on transparency, judicial reforms, [and] democratic governance,” Dombrovskis continued. “The same is true concerning Ukraine’s path towards EU accession, which will also require a strong capacity to combat corruption,” the commissioner stressed.
The German Foreign Ministry emphasized in a post on X that the “independence and strength” of Ukraine’s anti-corruption institutions were pivotal to the country’s reforms over the past years, and that Ukraine will continue to be evaluated based on its progress in this area.
Meanwhile, Sweden’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed serious concern about the independence of Ukraine’s anti-corruption institutions following the Ukrainian Parliament’s vote on the law.
“Over the past decade, Ukraine has made significant progress in the fight against corruption — it is essential not to stop at what has been achieved. Sweden remains a strong partner in Ukraine’s reform efforts,” the Ministry stressed.
Dutch Foreign Minister Kaspar Veldkamp noted that Ukraine’s anti-corruption institutions are critical to its reforms.
“Restricting the activities of these institutions would be a significant setback,” he added.
“Protecting the independence of these institutions and further progress in the rule of law remain key to Ukraine’s EU accession process,” Foreign Minister concluded.
Earlier, The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development had reportedly warned Kyiv that the recent move to undermine Ukraine’s anti-corruption institutions could negatively impact defense investments and funding for the country’s reconstruction efforts.
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