24/07/2025 Monitoring
Damien Cottier (Switzerland, ALDE) and Saara-Sofia Sirén (Finland, EPP/CD), the monitoring co-rapporteurs for Ukraine of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), have expressed their deep concern at the adoption and subsequent signing into force of the law that strips Ukraine’s anti-corruption bodies of their independence and brings them under the effective political control of the presidential administration.
“Ukraine has made major progress in the fight against endemic corruption. The establishment of independent institutions, with the support of the international community, to fight corruption is a key example of this. Removing their independence will not make these bodies more efficient. We therefore urge the authorities to re-establish the full independence of these important anti-corruption bodies,” said the two co-rapporteurs.
The rapporteurs intend to visit Kyiv later this year to, among other things, discuss issues related to checks and balances and the fight against corruption, which is key to strengthening democracy in Ukraine.
Ukraine is one of ten Council of Europe member states subject to the Assembly’s full monitoring procedure, which helps them to fulfil their promises to uphold the highest democratic and human rights standards.