Latest news with #EUaccession
Washington Post
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Ukraine's parliament passes bill weakening anti-corruption agencies. The public is furious
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine 's parliament on Tuesday passed legislation that would tighten oversight of two key anti-corruption agencies, which critics say could significantly weaken their independence and give President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's circle greater sway over investigations. Fighting entrenched corruption is crucial for Ukraine's bid to join the European Union and maintain access to billions of dollars in Western aid. The legislation's passage has triggered public outrage in Ukraine, and a protest was planned Tuesday in Kyiv. The changes would grant the prosecutor general new authority over investigations and cases handled by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO). 'In effect, if this bill becomes law, the head of SAPO will become a nominal figure, while NABU will lose its independence and turn into a subdivision of the prosecutor general's office,' the agencies said in a joint statement on Telegram. The bill goes to Zelenskyy for his signature or veto. In a post on X, the EU's Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos expressed concern over the vote in the Rada, calling it 'a serious step back.' Kos added: 'Independent bodies like NABU & SAPO are essential for Ukraine's EU path. Rule of Law remains in the very center of EU accession negotiations.' The Ukrainian branch of Transparency International criticized parliament's decision, saying it undermines one of the most significant reforms since what Ukraine calls its Revolution of Dignity in 2014 and damages trust with international partners. The group urged Zelenskyy to veto the law, warning that otherwise he would share responsibility with the Rada for 'dismantling Ukraine's anti-corruption infrastructure.' On Monday, Ukraine's domestic security agency detained two NABU officials on suspicion of links to Russia and searched other agency employees on unrelated allegations. Zelenskyy's office didn't respond to a request for comment. Last week, the president carried out a reshuffle of his wartime cabinet, a move widely viewed as further consolidating power within his inner circle.
Associated Press
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Ukraine's parliament passes bill weakening anti-corruption agencies. The public is furious
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine 's parliament on Tuesday passed legislation that would tighten oversight of two key anti-corruption agencies, which critics say could significantly weaken their independence and give President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's circle greater sway over investigations. Fighting entrenched corruption is crucial for Ukraine's bid to join the European Union and maintain access to billions of dollars in Western aid. The legislation's passage has triggered public outrage in Ukraine, and a protest was planned Tuesday in Kyiv. The changes would grant the prosecutor general new authority over investigations and cases handled by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO). 'In effect, if this bill becomes law, the head of SAPO will become a nominal figure, while NABU will lose its independence and turn into a subdivision of the prosecutor general's office,' the agencies said in a joint statement on Telegram. The bill goes to Zelenskyy for his signature or veto. In a post on X, the EU's Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos expressed concern over the vote in the Rada, calling it 'a serious step back.' Kos added: 'Independent bodies like NABU & SAPO are essential for Ukraine's EU path. Rule of Law remains in the very center of EU accession negotiations.' The Ukrainian branch of Transparency International criticized parliament's decision, saying it undermines one of the most significant reforms since what Ukraine calls its Revolution of Dignity in 2014 and damages trust with international partners. The group urged Zelenskyy to veto the law, warning that otherwise he would share responsibility with the Rada for 'dismantling Ukraine's anti-corruption infrastructure.' On Monday, Ukraine's domestic security agency detained two NABU officials on suspicion of links to Russia and searched other agency employees on unrelated allegations. Zelenskyy's office didn't respond to a request for comment. Last week, the president carried out a reshuffle of his wartime cabinet, a move widely viewed as further consolidating power within his inner circle.
Reuters
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
EU council sanctions individuals, entities responsible for destabilising Moldova
BRUSSELS, July 15 (Reuters) - The European Council said in a statement on Tuesday that it had imposed sanctions on seven individuals and three entities "responsible for actions aimed at destabilising" Moldova, whose leaders are bidding to join the EU by 2030. A statement by the Council said those targeted were close associates of Ilan Shor, a fugitive business magnate sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison in connection with the 2014 disappearance of $1 billion from the Moldovan banking system. Shor lives in Russia, where he oversees the activities of the pro-Russian "Victory" bloc, accused by Moldovan authorities of illegally financing electoral activities in Moldova, which lies between Ukraine and Romania. The bloc was barred by the courts from participating in last year's Moldovan presidential election and referendum on Moldova's drive to join the European Union. Its leaders are barred from entering the EU and are subject to an asset freeze under the directive. The EU statement said some of the people listed "have been actively involved in vote buying schemes, in the context of the presidential elections and of the constitutional referendum on EU accession of 2024, and bribery to corrupt several politicians". Victoria Furtuna, leader of the Moldova Mare party and subject to the order, vowed to mount a legal challenge, saying groups in Brussels were "shamelessly and openly ...choosing on their own who is going to run our sovereign state". Two others on the list are pro-Russian lawmakers who have disappeared after being convicted on corruption charges. Pro-European President Maia Sandu, who has accused the Kremlin of trying to subvert her country, won re-election last year by a slim margin and a referendum endorsing her EU membership campaign also passed only narrowly. Moldovan police last year accused Shor of funnelling large sums illegally to voters ahead of the polls and Sandu said the vote-buying scheme had influenced the outcome of the votes. A poll published on Tuesday credited Sandu's Party of Action and Solidarity with 27.4% of voting intentions ahead of a September parliamentary election, compared to 10.4% for the pro-Russian opposition Socialists and 6.2% for the Victory bloc.
Bloomberg
11-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Hungarian Oil Company Comes Up With an Unlikely Pipeline Plan
Hi, this is Zoltan Simon in Budapest. Welcome to our weekly newsletter on what's shaping economics and investments from the Baltic Sea to the Balkans. You can subscribe here. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is campaigning for re-election by vowing to block Ukraine's European Union accession and by railing against Brussels for its support for Kyiv. He also opposes a push to end Russian energy imports by 2027. That makes oil importer Mol's plan to wean itself off Russian crude all the more unusual.
