EU will give Ukraine money after reforms: European requirements announced

Ukraine has received the last unconditional tranche from the European Union under the Ukraine Facility, a macro-financial support program. The next transfers from the EU will depend on the success of future reforms: in the fight against corruption, demography, deregulation, and others.

This was announced by Danylo Hetmantsev ("Servant of the People"), Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Finance, Taxation and Customs Policy. He noted that the funds will now be received every three months.

"Ukraine has received €1.9 billion in unconditional financing under the Ukraine Facility. The funds have already been transferred to the state budget. This is the last disbursement made on the so-called "unconditional basis". Further funding will be provided quarterly, but subject to the fulfillment of the indicators approved for the relevant period," Hetmantsev writes.

To receive the next tranche in the fall, Ukraine must implement certain reforms and meet some parameters. The MP listed these requirements, calling them "quite feasible."

• Increase in the staff of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (from 10% to at least 15% of the number of employees of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau);
• entry into force of the laws of Ukraine on amendments to the Criminal Code of Ukraine and the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine to improve the procedure for plea bargaining; abolition of the pre-trial investigation period from the moment of registration of criminal proceedings to the notification of suspicion; sole consideration of individual cases by a judge of the High Anti-Corruption Court;
• approval of the action plan for the implementation of the Asset Recovery Strategy for 2023-2025;
• approval of a comprehensive Strategy for Demographic Development for the period up to 2040, which should define specific measures, including those to address the following issues:

1. improving the situation in the field of fertility;
2. reducing premature mortality, especially among men of working age;
3. overcoming negative migration trends, in particular through the return of forced migrants, attracting representatives of the foreign diaspora to Ukraine, etc;
4. promoting active longevity;
5. creating infrastructure and security preconditions for improving the demographic situation;

• adoption of the Deregulation Action Plan in terms of:

1. reduction and digitalization of market access regulations;
2. changing the punitive and repressive model of state supervision (control) to a preventive one (risk-oriented approach);
3. reducing the number of control and supervisory functions;

• the entry into force of the Cabinet of Ministers' resolution on amendments to the State Strategy for Regional Development for 2021-2027, which should provide for:

1. development of multi-level governance, approximation of the regional development management system to EU procedures and best practices;
2. promoting partnerships, inter-municipal, interregional, and cross-border cooperation;
3. development of the institutional capacity of territorial communities and regions in terms of project management, digitalization, anti-corruption, and strategic planning;

• implementation of the REMIT Law (approval of the following procedures and requirements: - the procedure for acquiring, suspending, and terminating the status of a data transmission administrator; - the procedure for the functioning of insider information platforms; - requirements for ensuring integrity and transparency in the wholesale energy market; - the procedure for submitting information on economic and trade operations with wholesale energy products);
• adoption of the Law of Ukraine on Prevention, Reduction, and Control of Industrial Pollution;
• development of a concept note defining the scope of deviations from the rules of EIA (environmental impact assessment) and SEA (strategic environmental assessment).

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