EU Believes That Ukraine Has Walked Only Quarter of Its Path to Defeat Corruption

The European Commission and the EU External Action Service have said Ukraine should consider the magnitude of the tasks involved in fighting corruption seriously as a prospective member of the EU.

During the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative (EUACI) Kyiv-Brussels teleconference Fighting Corruption: Ukraine's Path to the EU, representatives of the European Commission and the EU Foreign Policy Service noted that Ukraine has already created institutions to fight corruption, but is still at the beginning of this path.

They emphasised that they support Ukraine in creating an anti-corruption framework "at the request of the Ukrainian society," and the fact that these conditions are still being met indicates that the process is far from finished.

"Entry into the EU is akin to a marathon. There may be moments when it seems like the 10-kilometre course is shorter and the finish is near", Asier Santillan Luzuriaga, head of the rule of law department at the EU Delegation to Ukraine, pointed out. However, he stressed, "It's 42 kilometres, and you need to think for the future."

"In the marathon, we are now somewhere in the first 10 kilometres," he added, answering a question from European Pravda.

At the same time, the European diplomat stressed that the preparatory work was carried out by the Ukrainian side qualitatively, which allows further work to be carried out faster.

"If you continue the sports analogy, then to run a marathon, you also need training. So in recent years, a lot of your efforts have gone into ‘training,’ that is, preparation, you have created institutions," he explained.

Wolfgang Nozar, Head of the Rule of Law, Anti-Fraud and Financial Management Unit, Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations of the European Commission, who participated via video conference from Brussels, stated that Kyiv still has the final say over decisions and particular measures.

"We can help with advice, but the real work is for Ukraine to do," he explained.