CORRUPTION COUNTERACTION IN UKRAINE AS A REQUIREMENT OF THE EUROINTEGRATION

Abstract

This article is concerning on corruption counteraction in Ukraine as a requirement of the eurointegration. It has been stated that corruption is one of the most acute problems and its solving is extremely important and complicated issue. It has been concluded that corruption remains a serious challenge which needs constant attention due to significant costs to the state budget, business and population, and also hinders domestic and foreign investments, undermines the rule of law. Granting Ukraine the candidate status to accession to the European Union requires the fulfillment of certain requirements, and the most important of which is corruption counteraction. It has been noted that starting from the Revolution of Dignity in 2014 Ukraine has implemented two rounds of judicial and anti-corruption reforms – in 2014–2016 and in 2020–2021 – to bring the judicial system in line with rule of law principles, to strengthen the independence and accountability of courts as well as to create independent anti-corruption agencies. However, these rounds had no results. An attention has been given to the defining the term “corruption” which is used in the legal acts of the European Union, in the international legal acts in the field of corruption counteraction and in the domestic legislation. Taking into account provisions of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Convention drawn up on the basis of Article K.3 of the Treaty on European Union, on the protection of the European Communities’ financial interests, the Council of Europe Criminal Law Convention on Corruption, the Council of Europe Civil Law Convention on Corruption, the UN Convention Against Corruption, the Interamerican Convention Against Corruption, the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime, a conclusion has been made on absence of single generally accepted approach to the definition of corruption. The main legal act on corruption counteraction in Ukraine is the Law of Ukraine Reg. No. 1700-VII “On Corruption Prevention” dated from October 14th, 2014. It is worth to mention that 693 regulatory acts related to corruption are registered at the official web portal of the Ukrainian parliament – the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine – and that indicates rather intention to move towards reforms but not to eradicate corruption itself. An attention has been given to the situation in the field of corruption counteraction in Ukraine and to the relevant anti-corruption agencies. It has been suggested that today despite the full-scale aggression of Russian Federation against Ukraine started on February 24th, 2022, it is necessary to continue the corruption counteraction through reforming the Constitutional Court of Ukraine and restarting the entire judicial system involving population and civil society organization in it thus helping to increase their level of trust to the state and reduce the corruption perception index.