EC Vice-President in Kyiv: My message to Brussels – Ukraine doing everything to strengthen fight against corruption

Vice-President of the European Commission Věra Jourová believes that Ukraine is doing everything to strengthen the fight against corruption.

"My message to Brussels and the member states who will discuss and decide on the new accession process in mid-December is that Ukraine is doing everything to strengthen the fight against corruption," Jourová said at a briefing in Kyiv on Monday.

She said the criticism that she sometimes hears is that there are corruption cases in Ukraine, therefore it is a corrupt country. But she said differently: by the fact that these cases exist, and that they are being investigated, Ukraine is creating an effective system.

Jourová expressed admiration for the people who are engaged in the reforms necessary for Ukraine to join the EU. The vice president noted that she visited Ukraine in 2017 or 2018, and discussed the fight against corruption with representatives of the government, anti-corruption agencies, the media and civil society organizations. She said that then she hadn't the feeling that the intention to end it was serious. Jourová said now it is a completely different state compared to 2017. According to her, Ukrainians are tired of old Ukraine and they want a new system. They want institutions to function well, to investigate cases of corruption at all levels, not only at high levels, but also at lower levels, she also said.

At the same time, Jourová said the system has to be sustainable, emphasizing that for a sustainable and strong anti-corruption system, three things are needed: good laws, strong institutions and the right people doing their jobs.

Jourová also said it is important to increase the number of personnel of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine.