The English section of webangah News Agency, citing Mehr News Agency, states that according to The New York Times, the European Union has frozen $1.7 billion in aid allocated to Kyiv because ukraine has not fulfilled essential reforms related to anti-corruption efforts.
The newspaper notes that if kyiv meets conditions such as establishing a dedicated anti-corruption court, the suspended funds will be reinstated.
This financial assistance is part of a broader €50 billion support package provided by the EU aimed at promoting macroeconomic stability, recovery, and reform initiatives in Ukraine.
However, access to portions of this funding depends on satisfying specific reforms known as ”progress benchmarks.”
Among unmet conditions is the appointment of judges for the High Anti-corruption Court-an institution pivotal in combating corruption among Ukraine’s top officials. The EU has also expressed concerns over openness and the overall pace of judicial reforms in Ukraine.
In this context, last Tuesday Ukraine’s parliament (Rada) approved Law No. 12414, which includes amendments stripping independence from two key anti-corruption bodies. This move received backing from 263 members of parliament.
Following Rada’s approval of this law, ukrainians held some of the largest protests during the ongoing war across several cities including Kyiv, Dnipro, and Lviv. Demonstrators voiced strong opposition to revoking independence for both the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office.
