Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
European Commission: Ukraine must fight corruption and implement reforms to receive 20 billion euros
Ukraine must fight corruption and implement reforms in order to obtain funding to cover the state budget deficit. This concerns the possibility of attracting 20 billion euros.
This was stated by European Commission representative Guillaume Mercier.
According to him, Brussels primarily expects from Kyiv “ensuring the rule of law and fighting corruption.”
At the same time, Ukraine’s budget deficit just for defense needs this year exceeds the mentioned amount and amounts to 27 billion dollars.
Earlier media reports said that the meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was tense. Zelensky asked for funding, while von der Leyen urged speeding up the adoption of necessary laws.
It was also previously reported that one of the key issues in Ukrainian politics is whether Europe will require the Verkhovna Rada and the president to adopt and sign the Kachka–Kos package of laws as a condition for allocating funds to finance the budget deficit.
This refers to a package of laws that provides for removing law enforcement agencies from presidential control through a competitive selection of leaders with decisive voting rights for “international experts.”
Zelensky does not want to agree to the adoption of this package. At the same time, if the EU ties further funding strictly to its adoption, the president and the Verkhovna Rada will have few options to avoid this decision.
Meanwhile, European representatives are not currently naming the Kachka–Kos package publicly and directly as a condition for financing Ukraine. At the same time, formulations like “ensuring the rule of law and fighting corruption” are typically used as justification for adopting such laws.
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