The European Commission (EC) has published its report on Ukraine's progress as part of the European Union's 2026 Enlargement Package. The document assesses the reforms Ukraine has implemented on its path towards European Union (EU) membership, including in the area of preventing and combating corruption, and provides recommendations for further steps.
“The institutional framework for combating corruption remains effective, while specialised anti-corruption institutions continue, in general, to operate independently and effectively. The priority now should be to meet the interim benchmarks related to the rule of law and implement the roadmaps for the rule of law, the functioning of democratic institutions and public administration reform, as well as the action plan on national minorities. It is important for Ukraine to keep accelerating the pace of reforms so that it can achieve its ambitious goal of concluding accession negotiations by the end of 2028,” the European Commission states.
The Report highlights the central role of the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) in shaping anti-corruption policy and developing preventive mechanisms. In particular, the European Commission acknowledged the NACP's work on developing the new Anti-Corruption Strategy for 2026–2030 (the Strategy), which is still awaiting adoption by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. The Strategy will define the systemic priorities of state anti-corruption policy for the next five years, both in terms of further developing the overall system for preventing and combating corruption and addressing corruption prevention in priority sectors.
The Report also acknowledges the Agency's efforts to strengthen oversight of compliance with lobbying legislation and establish structural units responsible for sector-specific corruption risk management.
At the same time, the European Commission identified areas for further improvement in the NACP's work. These include implementing the recommendations of the 2023 independent assessment of the Agency's performance and ensuring that the next assessment is conducted in a timely manner using a robust methodology.
As a reminder, in March 2026, the NACP called on international development partners and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine to initiate an external independent assessment of the NACP's performance for 2022–2025 and nominate candidates for an independent commission. This is in line with the European Commission's recommendation to ensure a timely assessment based on a robust methodology.
The Report also notes that the NACP needs to improve its methodology for prioritising declaration verifications based on a risk-based approach. The Agency is currently working to strengthen financial control in line with the recommendations of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). As part of these efforts, the NACP has already revised its approach to selecting declarations for full verification, placing particular emphasis on declarations submitted by officials working in sectors with heightened corruption risks, including taxation, customs, energy and public procurement, as well as senior officials whose potential offences fall under the investigative jurisdiction of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU).
The European Commission's key recommendations for Ukraine in the area of corruption prevention for the coming year include:
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Adopting an ambitious Anti-Corruption Strategy and State Anti-Corruption Programme; ensuring effective mitigation of identified corruption risks in vulnerable sectors, particularly energy, defence, procurement, construction and land management, the judiciary and law enforcement, within the framework of the national Anti-Corruption Strategy and relevant sectoral strategic documents;
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Strengthening the effectiveness and institutional resilience of NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO), including by expanding their jurisdiction to cover positions associated with high corruption risks, ensuring access to high-quality forensic expertise, and taking other necessary measures;
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Improving financial control tools, particularly by optimising the categories of persons required to submit declarations and the procedures for their verification, with a focus on effectively detecting and confiscating unjustified assets;
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Ensuring the timely selection and appointment of a new Head of SAPO and their deputy; conducting an independent external audit of SAPO to ensure proper accountability and oversight, and implementing its recommendations;
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Adopting amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code to eliminate procedural obstacles in criminal proceedings, as well as legislative changes allowing civil and administrative cases before the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) to be heard by a single judge. It is worth noting that the NACP has already developed the relevant draft laws (No. 16043 and No. 16152-1), which are currently awaiting consideration by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
The European Commission also acknowledged Ukraine's progress towards ratifying the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions, while emphasising that the necessary legislation has yet to be adopted.
The European Commission's recommendations set out the priorities for further strengthening Ukraine's anti-corruption system. Their implementation requires consistent legislative reforms, adequate safeguards for the independence of anti-corruption institutions, and a systematic approach to corruption prevention.
The NACP will continue its work on shaping anti-corruption policy and developing preventive mechanisms. One of the key priorities remains the adoption of the Anti-Corruption Strategy for the coming period and ensuring its implementation through the State Anti-Corruption Programme.
The full text of the Report in English is available here.
For reference
Each year, the European Commission adopts its Enlargement Package. At the core of the Package is the Communication on enlargement, which reviews developments over the past year. It examines the progress made by candidate and potential candidate countries, the challenges they have faced, and the reforms that need to be undertaken, while also setting out proposals for the way forward.
The Package also includes Reports, in which the Commission services present their detailed annual assessments of reform progress in each candidate and potential candidate country over the previous year. These assessments are accompanied by recommendations and guidance on reform priorities.
The Report issued as part of the 2025 Enlargement Package contains an assessment of Ukraine's progress across all negotiating chapters, including Chapter 23, “Judiciary and Fundamental Rights”, which covers the “Fight against corruption” section.
