A host of European leaders welcomed the news that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a law restoring independence to his country’s main anti-corruption agencies.
A total of 331 out of 340 lawmakers present voted in favor of the bill on Thursday, forming an overwhelming constitutional majority.
Last week, major anti-government protests broke out across Ukraine after the country’s parliament approved a bill that brought the two main bodies – the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) – under government control.
The large-scale demonstrations were Ukraine’s first major anti-government protests since Russia’s 2022 invasion.
When approving the bill last week, Zelensky called it a necessary step to rid the two agencies of “Russian influence.” Two employees of one of the bodies were arrested last week “on suspicion of working for Russian special services.”
But on Thursday, the president about-faced, saying in a statement posted to X that he had listened to the Ukrainian people and that the “right decision” was to reverse the controversial bill.
The law he signed Thursday is a “guarantee of the proper independent functioning of Ukraine’s anti-corruption bodies and all law enforcement agencies,” Zelensky said, adding that the new law will ensure regular polygraph checks for “all law enforcement personnel who have access to state secrets or have relatives in Russia.”
“This is the right decision. It is very important that the state listens to public opinion. That it hears its citizens. Ukraine is a democracy – without a doubt,” he said.
Ukraine had long been seen as one of the most corrupt countries in Europe. The European Union warned Kyiv that it must implement strong anti-graft measures if it wants to join the bloc.
Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, and António Costa, the president of the European Council, both said in identical posts on X that the new law signed Thursday was a “welcome step.”
“Ukraine’s rule of law and anti-corruption reforms should continue. They remain essential for Ukraine’s progress on the European path. The EU will continue to support these efforts,” they said.
Kaja Kallas, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, also wrote on social media that “Ukraine’s move to restore powers of anti-corruption bodies demonstrates its resolve to quickly get back on course when European democratic values are at stake.”
“The rule of law and fighting corruption are crucial for any country aspiring to join the EU,” she said.
Diplomats from the EU countries of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal and Sweden also welcomed the move.
