You're reading: EU ambassador: Independence of NGOs in Ukraine should be preserved at all costs

Non-governmental organizations play a key role in the modernization of Ukraine, their independence should be preserved at all costs, Head of the European Union Delegation to Ukraine, Ambassador Hugues Mingarelli has said.

Non-governmental organizations play a key and fundamental role in the modernization of Ukraine and their independence should be preserved at all costs, the ambassador said at a briefing in Lviv on March 28.

Mingarelli said members of non-governmental organizations cannot have the same responsibilities for declaring their income and property as civil servants.

There is no need to do anything that could be considered as a pressure on or a threat to activists of NGOs, the ambassador said.

According to him, the EU will carefully follow this matter to make sure that civil society remains an active participant in Ukraine’s life.