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France 24
11 minutes ago
- France 24
Zelensky signs bill ensuring anti-graft agencies' 'independence'
He inked the bill shortly after lawmakers gave their backing for the changes, which was also approved in advance by the anti-corruption bodies. Kyiv's European allies supported the new legislation after worrying the previous change to the law would undermine anti-corruption reforms key to Ukraine's bid to join the EU. "The law guarantees the absence of any external influence or interference," the Ukrainian leader wrote on social media, announcing he had approved the bill. "It is very important that the state listens to public opinion. It hears its citizens. Ukraine is a democracy," he added, in an apparent message to Ukrainians who had demanded the changes. Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said after the vote in parliament that the result was "a clear response to the expectations of society and our European partners." Dozens of demonstrators -- holding signs that read "restore independence" or European Union flags -- gathered ahead of the vote to urge lawmakers to back the new bill. One of the demonstrators, Anastasiia, told AFP it was important that anti-corruption agencies were not in the "pocket" of government officials. "While the military is defending our country from the damned Russians, we here in the rear are communicating with our authorities so that the country they are fighting for is worthy," she said, identifying herself with her first name only. European Commission spokesman Guillaume Mercier said the bill "restored key safeguards" for anti-graft agencies but cautioned "this is not the end of the process." "Ukraine accession will require continuous efforts to guarantee a strong capacity to combat corruption and to respect rule of law, we expect Ukraine to deliver on those commitments swiftly," he said. The earlier law had put the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) under the direct authority of the prosecutor general, who is appointed by the president.
Euronews
41 minutes ago
- Euronews
EU Commission confirms ditching of AI liability and patents proposals
The European Commission has formally withdrawn proposals for an AI Liability Directive and a Regulation on Standard Essential Patents (SEP), despite some resistance from lawmakers and member states, a spokesperson for the institution confirmed to Euronews. In its work program published last February, the Commission announced its plans to withdraw the two files because it saw 'no foreseeable agreement' being reached. Some MEPs and member states resisted the move, but this now seems to have been ineffective. They had six months to oppose the decision. The spokesperson said on Thursday that 'having considered their views, the Commission has confirmed the withdrawal.' The AI Liability rules were intended to offer consumers a harmonised means of redress when they experience harm arising from AI products or services. The rules were proposed in 2022, but no significant progress has been made since. Some lawmakers pushed for its continuation, including Axel Voss (Germany/EPP), claiming that they wanted to address AI Liability as soon as the AI Act was signed off. EU Tech Commissioner Henna Virkkunen said that the planned directive would have led member states to 'apply the rules in different ways'. 'We continue to listen to interested stakeholders, as we remain committed to having a balanced and fair regulatory environment of AI in the EU. We will be drawing lessons from the negotiations of the previous proposals," the spokesperson said. Standard essential patents - key to tech products The proposal on patents was further on in the decision-making process at the time when it was withdrawn. In April 2023, the Commission published its plan for a regulation on SEPs, which are patents that protect the technology deemed essential in a technical standard or specification, used in the automotive, smart energy, and payment industry. The rules were agreed by the Parliament in February 2024, before the Commission signalled this year it intended to withdraw the proposal, surprising many. Industry Commissioner Stéphane Séjourné told Parliament in April that the Commission withdrew the file with the hope to get a broader agreement. The Commission now says that 'neither the Parliament nor the Council adopted a clear signal of support for the SEP Proposal.' Adding, that if 'circumstances change' the Commission will revisit its policy stance, and 'consider an adequate policy response. In the meantime, the Commission will continue to monitor market and international developments aimed at overcoming SEP licensing frictions. Simplification Scrapping these files fits into the simplification agenda of this Commission. Commissioner Virkkunen previously announced carrying out a digital fitness check, which will result in an 'omnibus' simplification package set to be presented on 10 December. The EU executive aims to identify reporting obligations in existing digital legislation that can be cut to ease pressure on enterprises, particularly SMEs. Lawmaker Tiemo Wölken (Germany/S&D) said earlier this month that he will sue the Commission for lack of transparency regarding the two legislative files. Wölken said that the withdrawal came after Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and US Vice President JD Vance met at the AI Summit in Paris. Requests to get access to Commission documents regarding this process were not answered. He filed a lawsuit with the General Court of the European Court of Justice. 'My access to documents requests were primarily an opportunity for the Commission to clear up such rumours. But instead, they decided to delay my requests, which is why I now ultimately have no choice but to take legal action to bring clarity and to obtain the documents concerned,' Wölken said.
France 24
an hour ago
- France 24
Ukrainian parliament approves law restoring independence of anti-graft agencies
Ukraine 's parliament on Thursday overwhelmingly approved a bill presented by President Volodymyr Zelensky restoring the independence of two of the country's key anti-corruption watchdogs, reversing his contentious move last week that curbed their power and brought an outcry. Last week's measure by Zelensky to place the watchdogs under the oversight of the prosecutor-general prompted rebukes from Ukrainians, the European Union and international rights groups. It raised fears that the government could meddle in investigations and potentially shield its supporters from scrutiny. Fighting entrenched corruption is crucial for Ukraine's aspirations to join the EU and maintain access to billions of dollars of vital Western aid in the nearly 3½-year all-out war. It's also an effort that enjoys broad public support. EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos, who called last week's legislative changes 'a serious step back', welcomed approval of the bill, saying lawmakers had 'corrected last week's damaging vote'. 'Today's law restores key safeguards, but challenges remain,' Kos, who monitors the record of countries that are candidates to join the bloc, wrote on X. 'The EU supports (Ukrainian) citizens' demands for reform. Upholding fundamental values & fighting corruption must remain the priority.' The backlash against Zelensky's measures brought street protests across the country that were the first major demonstrations since Russia's full-scale invasion began on February 24, 2022. Though the protests didn't call for the president's removal, the controversy threatened to undermine public trust in their leaders at a critical time. Russia's bigger army is accelerating its efforts to pierce Ukraine's front-line defences and is escalating its bombardment of Ukrainian cities. There is also uncertainty over how much additional weaponry Ukraine's Western partners can provide and how quickly. The Ukrainian branch of Transparency International also criticised last week's legislation, saying it weakened one of the most significant reforms since what Ukraine calls its Revolution of Dignity in 2014. Zelensky said his goal had been to speed up prolonged investigations, ensure more convictions and remove Russian meddling in investigations, which he didn't detail. He said he had taken note of the protests and decided to present a new bill to parliament underscoring that the prosecutor general and his deputies cannot give orders to anti-graft agencies or interfere in their work. Lawmakers in the Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian Parliament in Kyiv, approved Zelensky's new proposal with 331 votes and nine abstentions on Thursday, official figures showed.
