Zelenskyy discusses draft law on NABU and SAPO independence with von der Leyen

A draft law on the independence of anti-corruption bodies (the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office) is to be adopted next week. This was announced by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after a telephone conversation with the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.

The parties discussed Ukraine's European integration, further strengthening of sanctions against Russia and the work of Ukraine's anti-corruption infrastructure.

"We talked about a draft law that guarantees the independence and effectiveness of Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies. I thanked the European Commission for its expertise. We share the same vision: it is important that the draft law is adopted immediately, next week," Zelensky said.

The President also said that Ukraine continues to implement the necessary reforms to receive financial assistance under the Ukraine Facility mechanism.

"Today [July 27] I signed the laws on the reform of the Asset Recovery and Management Agency and factoring. Ursula noted the progress in the implementation of the relevant indicators," the President added.

Zelenskyy thanked the European Union for adopting the 18th package of sanctions against Russia, primarily for lowering the price ceiling for Russian oil. He added that he continues to synchronize European sanctions – all 18 packages are in effect in Ukraine.

They also discussed what efforts should be made to open the first negotiation cluster on Ukraine's EU membership.

On July 25, it was reported that Ukraine would receive €1.45 billion less financial assistance under the fourth tranche of the EU's Ukraine Facility, as Kyiv failed to implement three of the 16 required reforms.

Among the three pending reforms, one concerns the law on decentralization, the second the law on the ARMA, and the third the selection of judges to the High Anti-Corruption Court.

• On July 22, after the Rada deprived NABU and SAPO of their independence, European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Kos noted that such independent institutions are "crucial" for Ukraine's integration into the EU.
• And a European Commission spokesman reminded that significant financial support for Kyiv depends on its reforms .
• Meanwhile, European Commissioner for Economic and Productivity Dombrovskis who oversees financial assistance to Ukraine, called NABU and SAPO "extremely important for Ukraine's reform program".
• On July 23, after large protests and reactions from partners, Zelensky announced a bill that would return independence to anti-corruption bodies – and MPs are to vote for it already on July 31.