The European Parliament calls on the Ukrainian authorities to improve the electoral legislation, bringing it in line with international standards.

This is discussed in the section "Common values and general principles" of the resolution on the implementation by Ukraine of the Association Agreement, voted by the European Parliament. The spokesperson was deputy from the European People's Party Michael Gahler (Germany).

Voting took place on Wednesday during the European Parliament's plenary session.

In particular, the European Parliament resolution "welcomes the new Electoral Code adopted in December 2019, including its provisions on the rights of IDPs." At the same time, the European Parliament reminds that "continuous amendments to the Electoral Code during an ongoing election go against Venice Commission recommendations, cause legal uncertainty and negatively impact the work of election commissions." The European Parliament also urges "Ukraine to further tackle illegal campaigning, vote buying, misuse of administrative resources and the legal uncertainty surrounding campaigning on social media."

The European Parliament also "insists that the Electoral Code should be improved and brought into line with international standards in order to address issues such as social media campaigning, transparency of campaign spending and access of independent candidates to the electoral process."

"With regard to local elections, stresses, moreover, the importance of eliminating bureaucratic barriers to voter registration for IDPs, of setting a financial ceiling for campaigning and of enabling the participation of individual candidates, including by reconsidering the plan to introduce a cash deposit for candidates in small communities," according to the resolution.

At the same time, the document notes that the European Parliament is satisfied that the OCSE/ODIHR election observation missions, with the participation of the European Parliament, assessed the 2019 presidential and parliamentary elections overall as competitive, well-administered and managed in an efficient way.

"The European Parliament urges the Ukrainian authorities to address the shortcomings identified in the statements of the Heads of the European Parliament’s delegations and to follow the recommendations contained in the OCSE/ODIHR election observation mission final reports. Calls on the Ukrainian Government to ensure free and fair electoral campaigns, without improper campaign financing methods, in which there is no room for vote buying; stresses that the electoral process and the voting process on election day should ensure higher safety standards and envisage special safety measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19," the officials said in the resolution.

In the same section, this is about the fact that the Agreement on Association and Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area is a reflection of the shared ambition of the EU and Ukraine to move towards political association and economic integration, which can serve as a blueprint for reform, and stresses its paramount importance, especially in the current exceptional times.

"The European Parliament urges that the agreement be fully implemented and its potential exploited; further urges the Ukrainian authorities to keep its implementation high on their agendas despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic; stresses that the EU’s assistance to Ukraine is subject to strict conditionality and reiterates the need for Ukraine to show a renewed commitment to reform and adherence to the Union’s principles; recalls the necessity for the AA/DCFTA to be updated, to take due account of the evolution of the regulatory frameworks and economic development needs, and to strengthen monitoring mechanisms," according to the document.

In addition, the European Parliament also welcomes the unprecedented aid packages, calls on the Ukrainian authorities to create a climate conducive to investments and to swiftly implement the agreed conditions for the disbursement of the EU Macro-Financial Assistance set out in the Memorandum of Understanding.