EU Cautions: NABU Law Could Undermine Ukraine’s EU Membership Prospects

The European Commission has officially informed the Ukrainian government about the potential consequences the NABU law may have on Ukraine’s path toward EU membership.

European Pravda has obtained information about the content of talks between EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos and Ukraine’s new Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, Taras Kachka, regarding the reduction of powers of anti-corruption bodies.

According to European Pravda, on July 22, Marta Kos conveyed to her Ukrainian counterpart that the European Commission has taken a firm position on law No. 12414: it not only undermines the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), but also violates the commitments outlined in the Roadmaps agreed upon by Kyiv and Brussels as part of the EU accession preparations.

Kos stated that the European Union views the adoption of this law as “a rollback in fulfilling the seven EU Commission recommendations,” which were a condition for Ukraine’s candidate status.

Until now, official recognition of a rollback in “candidate reforms” by the EU had only been directed at Georgia. In response to Tbilisi’s anti-democratic shift, Brussels froze its accession process with Georgia.

So, Marta Kos reminded Taras Kachka of the potential consequences.

“This step will have serious implications for the entire negotiation process regarding Ukraine’s accession to the EU. Even now, member states are expressing concerns that it was the right move to take our time with the opening of Cluster 1,” she stated.

All other EU interlocutors who spoke to European Pravda prior to the law’s signing came to the same conclusion: if Volodymyr Zelensky signs the law (which he already has), he will also be signing off on a freeze in Ukraine’s EU accession process.

While the screening of the final cluster may still be completed, the opening of substantive accession negotiations will become impossible.

More details are available in the article: “Zelensky’s Alliance with Orbán: How the President Undermined Ukraine’s EU Path and What to Expect Next.”

EMPR