On October 20, the Danish Presidency of the EU and the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative (EUACI) implemented by Denmark hosted a high-level seminar “Ukraine. Integrity and Integration”, bringing together key stakeholders from Ukraine and the EU to discuss Ukraine’s progress in building a resilient anti-corruption system, the EU’s continued support to this end, and next steps on the country’s path towards the EU. Almost 100 participants contributed to a lively and inspiring debate.
Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kachka emphasized that despite the challenges of war, Ukraine continues to implement anti-corruption and judicial reforms. He noted that even before the official opening of the first cluster of negotiation chapters, Ukraine had begun implementing the roadmaps of rule of law and public administration reform, as well as the roadmap related to the functioning of democratic institutions.
Many speakers mentioned that Ukraine has established an anti-corruption system that continues to deliver significant results in high-level corruption cases. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, and the High Anti-Corruption Court are still processing more cases despite the many challenges they are facing. Several panellists mentioned these institutions’ vulnerability, as also demonstrated by the NABU/SAPO crisis in July.
The representative of the European Commission, Wolfgang Nozar, reaffirmed the EU’s ongoing support for Ukraine’s reform agenda:
“These are really reforms for the country, for its citizens, for its economy. We, as the Commission, are just there to provide advice, guidance, and maybe discipline sometimes. The accession process is a huge exercise with lots of aspects to cover, and we are offering the support and the plan to move forward. Ukraine has done a great job since 2014, but this now needs to continue.”
Executive Director of Transparency International in Ukraine, Andrii Borovyk, presented the main conclusions of the civil society shadow report that was published on the day of the event. It showed a mixed picture of developments in the anti-corruption field during the last year. Among the few positive developments in terms of reforms, he mentioned as examples the law on the Assets Recovery and Management Agency and the appointment of a new Head of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine. Both happened with delays and not without political challenges.
Allan Pagh Kristensen, Head of EUACI, emphasized the independence of Ukraine’s anti-corruption institutions as a key aspect of their success.
“They are not targeting an opposition or certain economic groups, and they don’t shy away from going after high-level government officials,” he said.
He also mentioned that progress is not only about compliance with EU standards but also about creating a governance culture based on trust and accountability, and working with values.
“Opening the first Cluster is important, but it’s just the beginning. Then Ukraine will need to deliver on reforms and on the agreed measures, including the 500 measures of the rule-of-law roadmap,”
Allan Pagh Kristensen said.
The seminar concluded with the screening of the documentary “After the Era of Silence,” which reflects Ukraine’s transformation from the 1990s to today’s comprehensive anti-corruption system.
In the panels were Taras Kachka, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Transatlantic Integration of Ukraine; Anastasiia Radina, Chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Anti-Corruption Policy; Yaroslav Zhelezniak, Member of the Parliament of Ukraine; Vira Mykhailenko, President of the High Anti-Corruption Court; Polina Lysenko, Deputy Director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine; Andrii Borovyk, Executive Director of Transparency International Ukraine; Wolfgang Nozar, Head of Fundamentals and Rule of Law Unit, DG ENEST; and Allan Pagh Kristensen, Head of the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative (EUACI).
