Fighting corruption is the foundation not only for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, but also for sustainable reconstruction, attracting investment and maintaining public trust. This was stated by the Head of the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NAPC) Viktor Pavlushchyk during the panel discussion “From reforms to results: rule of law and fight against corruption in the process of Ukraine’s accession to the EU” at the Conference on the Restoration of Ukraine (URC 2026).
The panel also included European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, Polish Minister of Justice Waldemar Żurek, Advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Olga Kildyushkina, Deputy Prosecutor General of Poland Jacek Bielewicz and Director General for Human Rights and the Rule of Law of the Council of Europe Gianluca Esposito.
During the discussion, the European partners emphasized that the fight against corruption is one of the key criteria for Ukraine's accession to the European Union, and at the same time a key condition for the country's economic recovery.
European Commissioner Marta Kos also emphasized that Ukraine's accession process should be based on the principle of a results-based approach, and gradual integration into individual EU policies even before full membership can become an important tool for supporting reforms.
Chairman of the NACP Viktor Pavlushyk noted that openness in reporting corruption is a sign of the maturity of democratic institutions, and progress should be assessed using objective indicators. According to him, over the past 18 years, the level of real experience of citizens encountering corruption while receiving public services has decreased by 3.7 times - from 67% in 2007 to 18.2% today. At the same time, the Anti-Corruption Strategy of Ukraine for 2026-2030 provides for comprehensive systemic reforms in 16 priority areas of public administration aimed at minimizing corruption risks.
The participants of the discussion also discussed the practical impact of the reforms on public administration, accountability, investment climate and Ukraine's implementation of the criteria of the first Cluster of negotiations on EU accession "Fundamentals of the EU accession process".
For reference
The Conference on the Reconstruction of Ukraine (URC 2026) was held on June 25-26, 2026 in Gdansk (Republic of Poland) under the joint organization of Ukraine and Poland. This year, for the first time, a separate focus of the conference was the security dimension, dedicated to strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities as a necessary prerequisite for the restoration of the state. The event brought together representatives of governments, international organizations, financial institutions, business and civil society to coordinate international support for the reconstruction of Ukraine.