Kachka on criticism of draft Anti-Corruption Strategy: Final content to be determined by Ukrainian parliament
Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Taras Kachka has said it is parliament that will determine the final content and substance of the Anti-Corruption Strategy for 2026-2030 during consideration by relevant committees and in the first and second readings.
"What the Anti-Corruption Strategy will ultimately be will be determined by the Ukrainian parliament. European partners assess not drafts, but adopted documents, and it is parliament that will determine the final content and substance of the Strategy during consideration by relevant committees and the first and second readings in the session hall," Kachka told Interfax-Ukraine, answering a question about critical remarks on the draft Anti-Corruption Strategy by the head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Anti-Corruption Policy and concerns about non-implementation of the "Kachka-Kos" plan and European integration conditions.
According to him, in the field of the fight against corruption, the European Union creates the legal framework, while how to implement it is determined by lawmakers of member states and candidate countries.
He said these are precisely the decisions the Ukrainian parliament must make regarding mechanisms to ensure the independence of anti-corruption policy and rule of law policy.
"I emphasize that the Anti-Corruption Strategy is an important step toward Ukraine’s integration into the EU, as this document should become a guide for the government and parliament on how to reduce corruption in Ukraine in practice in many areas. For example, the Strategy will answer the question of how to reduce corruption at customs, pressure on business, and remove the corruption component in construction and land sales. And we in the government will join the work at all stages of consideration of the draft Strategy, because we have a common goal – rapid accession to the EU," Kachka said.
As reported, the press service of the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) said that two draft Anti-Corruption Strategies for 2026-2030 had been submitted to the Verkhovna Rada, each based on the basic bill developed and published by the NACP in early April. In particular, draft documents were submitted by the Cabinet of Ministers and by Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Anti-Corruption Policy Anastasia Radina.
On May 18, Radina said the government’s draft Anti-Corruption Strategy does not take into account the provisions of the so-called "Kachka-Kos" communique and contradicts the interim benchmarks for negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union.
A joint statement by Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos and Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Taras Kachka following an informal meeting of ministers for European affairs in December 2025 said Ukraine should take a number of measures to implement anti-corruption policy and rule of law policy as part of the EU accession process during 2026, including adopting comprehensive amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code and other legislation.
In addition, it was envisaged that Ukraine would facilitate strengthening the independence of NABU and SAPO and protecting their jurisdiction from circumvention and undue influence by clearly delineating investigative powers between pretrial investigation bodies and establishing clear rules for preventing and resolving conflicts of jurisdiction in criminal proceedings, as well as facilitate expanding the jurisdiction of NABU and SAPO to all high-risk positions based on the existing independent assessment.