Photo: president.gov.ua
Ukraine must hold corrupt politicians and businesspeople accountable if it wants to become part of the European Union.
This was stated in an interview with Politico by EU Commissioner for Justice Michael McGrath.
A new condition for EU accession
McGrath emphasized that EU member states will not support Ukraine's bid to join the bloc if it cannot demonstrate that it has created an effective system to fight high-level corruption.
The commissioner acknowledged that the reform process in Ukraine is a long journey, but noted that Kyiv is making "maximum efforts" to combat corruption.
"In every candidate country, there must be a reliable system to handle potential cases of high-level corruption. It is necessary to have a solid framework for investigation, and ultimately for prosecution and conviction, and to demonstrate effectiveness in this area — this is what we demand from all our member states, and of course from those wishing to join the European Union," McGrath added.
He also said that "the same standards apply to all candidate countries," adding that "the rule of law and judicial reforms are at the core of the accession process."
"We have very open and honest relations with the Ukrainian authorities regarding the requirements that exist," he added.
He further noted that if the rule of law standards are not met, there will be no support from EU member states for Ukraine's accession.
