The European Union called for the Verkhovna Rada to bring the law on the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine in compliance with the Constitution since the independence of this body was a condition for a visa-free regime with the EU and macro-financial aid. The EU foreign policy spokesman Peter Stano stated this.

“We have taken into account the Constitutional Court decision regarding NABU. The consequences of these decisions should be evaluated. The EU calls for the Ukrainian Parliament to amend the relevant legislation and bring it into line with the Constitution as soon as possible. We would emphasise the importance of NABU’s clear legal status and, at the same time, ensure its independence and efficient work,” Stano said.

Earlier, the European Parliament announced a threat to the visa-free regime with the EU due to the non-transparent procedure of selecting the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office head.

Meanwhile, the head of the parliamentary faction “Servant of the People” David Arahamiya stressed that Western partners were worried about who would head the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office and not about who will elect the head. “So, let’s wait for who will be chosen by this commission together with the international experts. Such experts entered this commission in sufficient quantity. Then, we will decide together with you whether it was ‘betrayal’ or ‘victory,’ the MP noted. He added that the only requirement of Ukraine’s international partners, enshrined in the documents, is to preserve the independence of the anti-corruption infrastructure.

To recap, the EU delegation and the US Embassy in Ukraine issued a joint statement the other day stating that further support for Ukraine would depend on the transparency of the election of the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office head.

Bohdan Marusyak

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