The National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) expects the draft of the State Anti-Corruption Program (The Program) for 2023-2025 to be approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine in the coming days, but this may be hindered by opposition from the bodies belonging to the most corrupt spheres.
This was stated by the Head of the NACP Oleksandr Novikov during a meeting with the ambassadors of the G7 countries and the European Union at the residence of the Ambassador of Japan to Ukraine.
"We thank you for including the approval of the State Anti-Corruption Program in the priorities of the G7 ambassadors. The approval of the Program is key to the further implementation of the Anti-Corruption Strategy of Ukraine, which will help Ukraine save taxpayers up to UAH 200 billion annually and overcome corruption in the areas most affected by corruption. And this can guarantee transparency in future processes related to reconstruction. The program is aimed at further strengthening of anti-corruption institutions in Ukraine, as well as implementation of EU anti-corruption standards in key areas of public life and economy. This is another important step on the path of Ukraine's integration into the EU and NATO", — Oleksandr Novikov stressed.The Head of the NACP added that an important Ukraine-EU Summit will be held in Kyiv on February 3, so the state must demonstrate its readiness for it by approving the Program and demonstrating to our partners Ukraine's absolute intolerance to corruption. Oleksandr Novikov discussed with the G7 ambassadors the necessity of restoring the declaration of public servants and financial reporting of political parties.
"The restoration of declaration and reporting of political parties are effective tools not only for preventing corruption, but also for detecting facts of illegal enrichment and other corruption offenses. This becomes particularly relevant from the point of view of the accountability of Ukrainian officials for the use of aid funds from partners aid. And recent high-profile events in our country demonstrate the need to restore these processes. Currently, the draft law on the restoration of electronic declaration has been awaiting consideration and approval in the Verkhovna Rada since the fall of last year", — added the Head of the NACP.He thanked the representatives of the G7 countries for their comprehensive support to Ukraine and once again emphasized that our state has all the necessary tools in its arsenal to ensure transparency and accountability in the reconstruction process and receiving aid from partners. Therefore, the NACP expects the fastest possible support from the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Verkhovna Rada in these matters. In turn, the ambassadors of the G7 countries and the EU expressed their clear support for the speedy adoption of the State Anti-Corruption Program and the restoration of corruption prevention tools (electronic declaration and financial reporting of political parties) in Ukraine.
The Ambassador of the European Union to Ukraine, Matti Maasikas, noted: "The adoption of the State Anti-Corruption Program will be an excellent result that can be presented during the Ukraine-EU Summit".The ambassadors of the G7 countries and the EU promised to continue supporting anti-corruption reforms, the independence of anti-corruption bodies of Ukraine, and also called for taking all the necessary steps to ensure an effective and transparent process of receiving international aid during the reconstruction of Ukraine, in particular, guaranteeing a proper compliance system for the executors of reconstruction projects. It will be recalled that this year Japan is the presiding country of the G7. Earlier, the Head of the NACP met with the Ambassador of Japan to Ukraine, Matsuda Kuninori.
