The new leadership of the Directorat General of Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations prioritizes anti-corruption policy in Ukraine

02.02.2023

On February 3, the 24th Ukraine-EU summit will be held and it will be the first in which our state will participate as a candidate for membership of the European Union. Yesterday, the specialized Government Committee unanimously approved the draft of the State Anti-Corruption Program for 2023-2025 (the Program) and recommended the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine to approve it. We expect that to happen on February 2nd or 3rd. It is important for Ukraine to demonstrate to international partners its determination in the fight against corruption. This was stated by the Head of the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) Oleksandr Novikov during a working meeting with the new Director-General of the Directorate-General Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (NEAR) of the European Commission (EC) and his team with the heads of anti-corruption bodies of Ukraine. The meeting was held in this format for the first time, which indicates the priority of the anti-corruption policy in Ukraine for the new leadership of the most important for Ukraine at the moment EC division. "After the Program is approved, Ukraine will face another challenge — the restoration of the declaration of officials and the reporting of political parties. Ensuring justice is a key requirement of society and one of the priorities of the state policy of Ukraine. Currently, the active Ukrainian public is demonstrating the need for the restoration of electronic declaration by creating appropriate petitions on the President's website, realizing that these are powerful safeguards, thanks to which we will finally be able not only to fight corruption, but also to make it impossible. This is especially important in the context of the recent high-profile events in our country", - stressed the Head of the NACP Oleksandr Novikov. He also discussed with the European partners the role of NACP in preventing corruption when Ukraine receives aid and in the processes related to reconstruction. "The key priorities of the Program, in particular, regarding the prevention of corruption in the spheres of infrastructure and urban planning, are important to guarantee transparent and fair use of EU support during the war and at the stage of post-war reconstruction of Ukraine. The NACP is ready to participate in recovery processes to analyze and minimize corruption risks and ensure proper, transparent use and distribution of humanitarian and financial aid"? - said Oleksandr Novikov. EC representatives expressed hope that Ukraine will receive the approved State Anti-Corruption Program already this week and will be able to present it as a powerful result at the Ukraine-EU Summit. It will be recalled that the G7 ambassadors also supported the restoration of electronic declaration and approval of the Program during a meeting with the Head of the NACP Oleksandr Novikov. The embassy of Japan, which presides the G7, recalled the importance of this decision. The Program itself is awaiting urgent approval by the Government.