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EU Commissioner for Justice Michael McGrath has warned that Kyiv must hold corrupt politicians and business figures accountable if it wants to join the European Union, as pressure on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy grows over corruption allegations.
In an interview with Politico, McGrath said that European governments will not support the accession of a candidate country like Ukraine unless it can prove it has an effective system to root out crime at the highest levels of society. Although Ukraine’s reform process is “a long road,” he expressed confidence that Kyiv is making “every effort” to fight corruption, adding that he is in regular contact with the authorities about progress.
“In every candidate country, there must be a robust system to address cases of alleged high-level corruption. There must be a reliable system to investigate, prosecute, and ultimately secure convictions — and to demonstrate effectiveness in this area, which we require from all of our member states, and of course those seeking to join the European Union,” McGrath said.
He stressed that “the same standards apply to all candidate countries,” noting that reforms in the areas of rule of law and justice are the foundation of the accession process.
“We have a very open and honest relationship with the Ukrainian authorities regarding these requirements. These rule-of-law standards must be met by all countries joining the EU. If they are not met, you will not get the support of EU member states to move forward on the path to membership,” the commissioner concluded.
The European Commission recently released its official progress report on Ukraine’s EU path, saying that despite Russia’s aggression, the country remains firmly committed to its European course, has completed the screening process, and advanced in key reforms.
