The Agency for Legislative Initiatives joined the visit of Transparency International Ukraine at the invitation of Transparency International EU. Together with representatives of civil society from Georgia, Moldova and the Western Balkans, the participants discussed anti-corruption challenges and news, exchanged experiences and achievements on the European integration path, which each country is going through in its own context and with its own obstacles.
The main topics of the panel discussions included pressure on civil society, malign interference and corruption. ALI also joined working meetings with representatives of DG ENEST (Directorate-General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood), EEAS (European External Action Service), COELA / COWEB, as well as a meeting in the European Parliament chaired by MEP Daniel Freund.
Delegations from the Agency for Legislative Initiatives and Transparency International Ukraine spoke about the challenges and threats Ukraine has faced in recent years, the work of Ukrainian democratic institutions and the role of the judiciary in the fight against corruption.
Over the years, the organisations have monitored many external and internal factors that affect the implementation of reforms. However, by far the first and greatest challenge for us, which affects all state processes, is the war that has been going on in Ukraine since 2014.
Only strong and capable institutions, whose development civil society has been promoting and supporting for years, will help to withstand this pressure at all levels and dispel attempts to undermine the credibility of Ukrainian state institutions not only in the eyes of the Ukrainian audience but also the international one.
But what if this capacity, including in terms of the rule of law, is affected by both systematic malign interference from russia and internal factors related to staff shortages, difficulties in conducting competitive selections, and complicated procedures for recruiting to the judiciary at all levels?
As a reminder, the Agency for Legislative Initiatives, in coalition with other CSOs, including Transparency International Ukraine, prepared a Shadow Report on Chapter 23 “Justice and Fundamental Rights” of the European Commission’s Report on Ukraine in 2023. Currently, the CSO Coalition has launched a new cycle of monitoring and evaluation of Ukraine’s progress in the field of European integration — under Chapters 23 “Justice and Fundamental Rights” and 24 “Justice, Freedom and Security”.
For reference
The working visit took place within the framework of the annual meeting of the Transparency International movement. The presentations of national regional chapters of Transparency International and NGOs from Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova and the Western Balkans were devoted to the analysis of the “Fundamentals” Cluster, the first and key cluster of the EU in its enlargement process. In particular, the visit focused on the key challenges and opportunities of each country in terms of their enlargement prospects.
