EU sets March deadline for Ukraine to strengthen anti-graft reforms to advance membership bid
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Ukraine has to fulfill four conditions set by the European Commission by March 24, 2024, after which the framework for EU accession negotiations will be approved, a senior EC official has told an NV correspondent in Brussels, on condition of anonymity.
Ukraine has fulfilled more than 90% of the seven conditions and has made significant progress in other reforms that are important for assessing their status, the official said.
"The country has made tremendous progress, so we recommended starting accession talks," the EC official stated.
“These recommendations are unconditional. We also said that it could start immediately. But we also recommend to the Council that the framework for negotiations — a document that defines the content of the negotiations — will be approved when Ukraine fulfills four conditions.”
These conditions are very specific, the European official noted. They are related to the fight against corruption, limiting the influence of oligarchs on legislative institutions, and protecting national minorities.
The first condition is to increase the staff of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine or NABU — Ukraine’s anti-corruption investigations agency.
"When it comes to fighting corruption, we are talking about adopting the law proposed by the government to increase the staff of the NABU to 1,000 people," the EC official said.
The second condition is also related to the fight against corruption. It involves two amendments to the law governing asset declarations. In particular, it is necessary to remove from the anti-corruption law the provisions that limit the powers of the NABU to continue verification of assets that have already been verified and that limit the powers of the agency to verify property acquired by declarants before entering public service, without prejudice to the rules applicable to national security in time of war.
The third and fourth conditions are that Ukraine should adopt a law regulating lobbying in accordance with European standards and a law addressing the remaining recommendations of the Venice Commission of June 2023 and October 2023 related to the law on national minorities.
"As soon as these things are done, we will report back," the European Commission official said.
“We think it can be done by March. That is why we have chosen the date of March 24. Then we will report to the European Council by March 24. And, obviously, if Ukraine fulfills all this and the Council accepts our recommendations, then a framework for negotiations can be adopted.”
On Nov. 8, the European Commission presented its historic opinion recommending that Ukraine and Moldova start accession negotiations with the EU.
The EC believes that Kyiv has sufficiently fulfilled the seven criteria. Now the European Council, i.e. the leaders of the 27 EU countries, has to make a similar decision.
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