Ukraine has completed the appointment of a judicial oversight body, a key step in the reforms required by the EU for possible membership. A group of judges this Thursday appointed the last of eight new members of the Superior Council for the Judiciary, allowing it to resume its function of appointing and removing judges.
EU Ambassador to Ukraine Matti Maasikas hailed the candidate country’s decision on Twitter. “Legal main government bodies can thus resume their work,” he wrote. The Council can now put “the rule of law and integrity” into practice.
Kyiv’s government is also moving forward with its anti-corruption efforts during the war against Russia. The public prosecutor in charge told the Portal news agency in December that there were at least 109 indictments in 42 cases and 25 convictions. A senior member of the responsible committee in the Ukrainian parliament, Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, spoke about two wars that his country is fighting simultaneously: one against Russia, the other against corruption, which has its roots in the period after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Officials pointed to the urgent need to convince potential Western financiers that billions in reconstruction investment would not seep into obscure channels. Efforts are also seen as a key condition for the long-term goal of EU membership. Ukraine was granted candidate status in June amid the Russian invasion. According to a poll in early November, at least 88% of Ukrainians expect their country to be a prosperous member of the EU within ten years. The country is ranked 122nd out of 180 on Transparency International’s Corruption Index.