European Commission: Fundamental rights protected in Ukraine, but activists still face pressure – Enlargement Package

The European Commission, in its annual report Enlargement Package, which was published on Tuesday in Brussels, states that fundamental human rights have been protected in Ukraine, however, electoral reforms must continue to take into account unfulfilled recommendations and prepare for a possible post-war election scenario.

"Parliament (Verkhovna Rada) can exercise its powers, including control of the executive and involvement in the legislative process, in a partially effective way due to the limitations imposed by martial law. Through the roadmap on the functioning of democratic institutions, Ukraine has committed to several measures aimed at ensuring a comprehensive impact assessments of proposed legislation, and at strengthening legislative oversight of the executive," the document notes.

"Ukraine’s government has continued to perform its functions in an effective way, prioritizing security and defence, EU integration, economic recovery and reconstruction. Decentralisation reform must advance in an effective and tangible way, in line with the measures set by the government and in line with the Ukraine Plan and public administration reform (PAR) roadmap," the document notes.

"The institutions in charge of EU integration are in place and are actively involved in coordinating the contributions of various stakeholders to the screening process, as well as in strategic documents related to the accession process," the document notes.

Civil society organisations (CSOs) operate in an overall enabling environment, but there have been incidents of alleged political pressure on anti-corruption activists.

"Such cases, also against human right defenders and CSOs, must be monitored and addressed. Three laws were adopted to strengthen the engagement and consultation of the public and CSOs in policymaking and decision-maki