The special advisor of the Secretary General (SG) of the Council of Europe has welcomed the Ukraine's presidential address which stressed the need for rapid implementation of the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) reform, the CoE online portal said in a statement.

"This is a solid encouragement for speedy and meaningful action to fulfill one of the outstanding commitments which Ukraine undertook when joining the Council of Europe: The transformation of the Prokuratura [PGO] into a modern prosecution service. The people in Ukraine need a Prosecution Service which functions independently, in accordance with the rule of law, pursues a zero tolerance policy towards corruption and enjoys public trust," the special advisor said.

The Council of Europe has been providing long-term support to the Prosecutor General's Office reform and will continue to do so, the statement noted. "One of the key aspects of this reform is the removal of any constitutional basis for the Prosecutors' power to supervise legality in general, a function that has led to numerous abuses and corruption in the past," the statement said.

"The sooner these reforms are consolidated through the Constitutional reform, the better the whole Ukrainian reform agenda will be implemented," the special advisor outlined.