Representatives of the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP), as well as other anti-corruption agencies and the High Anti-Corruption Court, took part in a discussion of the Anti-Corruption Policy section of the Rule of Law Roadmap with representatives of the European Commission.
The discussion took place within the framework of consultations between the Ukrainian side and the European Commission on the development of the Roadmap in the area of the Rule of Law (negotiating chapters 23 “Judiciary and Fundamental Rights” and 24 “Justice, Freedom and Security”), which is an important stage for the opening of negotiations on the cluster “Fundamentals of the EU Accession Process”.
The consultations were coordinated by the Office of the Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, the Government Office for Coordination of European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, and the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine.
Deputy Head of the NACP Dmytro Kalmykov emphasized that the draft Roadmap is based on the results of a self-screening (self-assessment) of the compliance of Ukrainian legislation with the provisions of European anti-corruption acts, international obligations and recommendations, and also takes into account the results of a previous bilateral meeting with the European Commission. In addition, the recommendations of the Shadow Report to Chapter 23 “Justice and Fundamental Rights” and suggestions made by the public have made a significant contribution.
EU representatives noted the high quality of the Roadmap and emphasized the importance of taking into account several key initiatives. The priorities include the effective implementation of the Anti-Corruption Strategy for 2021-2025 through the measures of the State Anti-Corruption Program for 2023-2025, development of a new strategy and program for 2026-2030 based on reliable data, strengthening the institutional capacity of NABU, SAPO and HACC by recruiting qualified personnel, adoption of a law to combat abuse of procedural rights, and granting the head of SAPO broader powers to strengthen the institution.
Representatives of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations, Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, experts on the rule of law from the European Commission and the EU Delegation to Ukraine took part in the consultations.
For reference.
A roadmap is a document in which a candidate country identifies key reforms in a particular area and sets deadlines for their implementation. It also serves as a basis for monitoring the progress of the candidate country by the European Commission.
Earlier, bilateral meetings between Ukraine and the EU were held in Brussels on negotiating chapters 23 “Judiciary and Fundamental Rights” and 24 “Justice, Freedom and Security.” These meetings were part of the official screening to assess the compliance of Ukrainian legislation with EU law.
