The European Union welcomes the restoration of independence to Ukraine’s anti-corruption bodies and confirmed to Kyiv Post that “there are no such plans as freezing EU funding,” while maintaining close monitoring of Ukraine’s adherence to the rule of law.
Nicolò Gasparini, spokesperson for the EU delegation to Ukraine, confirmed this to Kyiv Post by email, some time after Ekonomichna Pravda wrote that Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko received a letter from the EU warning that a separate decision might be made to halt European funding.
“When it comes to EU funding, I can confirm that there are no such plans,” Gasparini said.
Kyiv expects €18 billion ($20.9 billion) from the EU’s macrofinancial packages to Ukraine in 2025: €12.5 billion ($14.5 billion) of Ukraine Facility and €10.1 billion ($11.8 billion) in loans from Russian assets (ERA loan). Additional financing is facilitated from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Investment Bank according to their policies and priorities.
At the same time, Gasparini confirmed that the EU has been communicating with Ukrainian officials.
“The EU has clearly raised its strong concerns about the adoption of the amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code in Ukraine on 22 July. Since then, we have been in close touch with the Ukrainian authorities to remedy the situation. Our messages have been clear all along: Ukraine must build on its solid foundations as a future Member State and must preserve independent anti-corruption bodies, which are cornerstones of Ukraine’s rule of law,” Gasparini wrote.
NABU and SAPO independence reinstated following mass protests
On Tuesday, July 22, the Verkhovna Rada voted to strip the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) of their independence – a move that drew sharp criticism from the EU and triggered mass protests demanding its reversal.
Under the “12414” legislation, the Prosecutor General had the authority to take over criminal proceedings initiated by NABU or SAPO at any time and transfer them to another law enforcement agency. Many feared that weakening these institutions would block future investigations into high-level corruption.
But on July 31 Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada adopted draft law No. 13533, proposed personally by Zelensky after mass protests, which reinstated the independence of key anti-corruption institutions.
“In our view, the law addresses the key challenges to NABU and SAPO’s independence,” Gasparini said.
Prosecutorial independence remains a concern despite NABU/SAPO fix
However, the bill No. 13533 (originally becoming law No. 4560-IX after being signed by the president) did not leave the non-anticorruption prosecutors independent, as it used to be before July’s vote. Although 4560-IX cancels the independence of anti-corruption institutions, it strengthens the powers of the Prosecutor General, retaining the power to transfer cases to anyone else.
Thus prosecutors lose their independence as they can be “punished” if they do procedural actions the Prosecutor General does not like for any reason, including corruption. 4560-IX also canceled merit-based selection procedures for regional prosecutors and the Prosecutor General’s Office, increased the risk of politically motivated dismissals, and did not leave room for fresh independent employees to work in the institution.
Kyiv Post also asked the EU’s spokesperson whether stripping the independence of “regular” prosecutors concerns the EU, without receiving a direct reply to the question. Instead, Gasparini wrote that Ukraine should respect the rule of law and have a guaranteed capacity to fight corruption.
“Let me however underline that it is not the end of the process. Ukraine’s EU accession will require continuous efforts to guarantee a strong capacity to combat corruption and the respect for the rule of law. We expect Ukraine to deliver on those commitments swiftly and take decisive steps on rule of law,” Gasparini wrote.
Gasparini: Ukraine must deliver on EU accession commitments
The EU is following the situation, while also reassuring it will provide significant assistance to Ukraine, “conditional on progress in transparency, judicial reform, and democratic governance.”
“As a candidate country, Ukraine is expected to uphold these standards fully,” Gasparini wrote.
European funding has become crucial for Ukraine, alongside its EU accession process, as it supports reform progress and provides essential financial aid for the budget, particularly for social wages. While Ukraine defends itself against Russia, most of its domestic revenues are directed toward weapons, military salaries, and ammunition.
The US stopped financing Ukraine’s budget directly with grants in 2025, comprising the second source of foreign financing for Ukraine during the whole 2024, according to Ukraine’s Ministry of Finance data.