EU Anti-Corruption Initiative will support the NABU`s institutional capacity
The European Union (EU) is ready to support reforms in Ukraine, including anti-corruption iniatives. At the same time, frequent attempts to undermine the independence and effectiveness of the newly created anti-corruption agencies, in particular, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) are of concern. This was stressed by the Commissioner of the European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn at the presentation of the European Union’s Anti-Corruption Initiative in Ukraine (EUACI) program which took place on June 1, 2017.
"We are concerned on the politicization of the appointment of three NABU`s auditors. The appointment should take place transparently and without delay according to the law. Also, the NABU must receive the right to wiretap independently," said Johannes Hahn.
The Commissioner of the European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations stressed that European partners also see the need to establish the Specialized Anti-Corruption Court in Ukraine. The support of the establishment of the abovementioned court was provided as part of the implementation of the new anti-corruption initiative by the EU.
"Our mission here is to help. We will do our best to ensure that our Ukrainian colleagues have all the necessary tools to fully implement reforms (totally, entirely). The reforms that ultimately lead to the benefit of the Ukrainian people. We are also ready to adjust our help to the challenges and needs of our friends and colleagues in Ukraine", said the Head of the EUACI Eka Tkeshelashvili.
It should be reminded that on September 16, 2017, European politicians have supported the legislative initiatives necessary for the effective work of the NABU and announced the launch of the EUACI program.
Reference
The European Union`s Anri-Corruption initiative 3 years program (2017-2019) is supported by the European Commission with 15.84 million EUR and by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs with 1.34 million EUR.
The initiative includes three basic directions: strengthening of functional and normative capacity of the State bodies in the field of prevention and fight against corruption; strengthening parliamentary oversight and improving the strategic regulatory framework; strengthening the capacity to engage in the process of combating corruption at the local level. The NABU will be able to obtain tools for institutional capacity development, IT-equipment provision, expert support for professional development from the EU members.
