European Commission’s 2024 EU Enlargement Report: Key Recommendations for Ukraine

On October 30, the European Commission published its 2024 EU Enlargement Report on Ukraine as a candidate country.

If Ukraine meets the conditions for European integration, the European Commission anticipates that EU membership negotiations could begin in 2025, starting with sections in the “Fundamentals” cluster. These include Chapter 23 on Justice and Fundamental Rights, which addresses anti-corruption measures; Chapter 24 on Justice, Freedom, and Security; Chapter 5 on Public Procurement; Chapter 32 on Financial Control; and Chapter 18 on Statistics.

Overall, the European Commission notes that Ukraine has made some progress in implementing last year’s recommendations. It is now essential to maintain momentum and continue advancing. Accordingly, our partners have provided European integration recommendations for the upcoming year. TI Ukraine has identified the key recommendations relevant to our expert areas.

Anti-corruption efforts in Chapter 23:

• increase the number of judges and staff at HACC and provide it with appropriate premises
• continue efforts to remove obstacles to investigations of high-profile corruption cases, including the seizure and confiscation of assets derived from crime, and effectively implement the State Anti-Corruption Program
• strengthen NABU’s capacity to conduct forensic examinations, perform independent wiretapping, and ensure the urgent, full implementation of the iCase electronic criminal proceedings system.

Anti-organized crime efforts in Chapter 24:

• adopt the law on the reform of the Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA) in accordance with the Ukraine Facility Plan.

External financial control in Chapter 32:

• improve the political, administrative, and financial independence of the Accounting Chamber, and expand its powers to audit all public funds
• differentiate the powers between the Accounting Chamber and the State Audit Service
• strengthen cooperation between the Accounting Chamber and parliament, and enhance the system of state financial control in accordance with international standards and obligations outlined in the Ukraine Facility Plan.

Public procurement — Chapter 5:

• continue the harmonization of Ukrainian legislation on public procurement and public-private partnerships with EU directives
• develop a roadmap for strengthening control over public procurement by the State Audit Service in accordance with the Ukraine Facility Plan
• minimize exceptions to the law on public procurement

We have previously supported all these proposals in one way or another, and we will continue to monitor their implementation moving forward.

For our part, we have already begun studying this document in detail and will soon share our analysis.