EU funding for Ukraine threatened by lack of reform progress
Ukraine could lose €8 billion in European Union funding because of delays in judicial and anti-corruption reforms, German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung reports. A package of ten measures tied to the financial assistance was agreed between Kyiv and Brussels in December last year. According to the newspaper, however, Ukraine has made virtually no progress in implementing the plan since then.
Among the steps expected by the European Union are additional powers for NABU and SAP, guarantees of independence for the Prosecutor General’s Office and the State Bureau of Investigation, and the repeal of legislative provisions which, according to the report, have effectively paralysed investigations into corruption offences since 2017.
The conditions leave Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government facing the prospect of losing billions in EU funding for Ukraine if the reforms demanded by Brussels remain stalled.
Five reforms blocked in parliament
Last week, the authorities in Kyiv gave a further indication that they were not prepared to move quickly on the demands from Brussels. A specialised committee in the Verkhovna Rada, controlled by the Servant of the People party, blocked consideration of five reforms which European officials had been pressing Ukraine to adopt.
The dispute highlights the limits of European Union financial support when promised reforms are not implemented. Although Brussels and Kyiv agreed the conditions months ago, the prospect of withholding €8 billion suggests that European institutions are increasingly prepared to tie further assistance to measurable progress rather than political commitments alone.
For Ukraine, the stakes are substantial: continued delays in judicial and anti-corruption reforms could now carry a direct financial cost at a time when the country remains heavily dependent on external support.
