The EU has set 135 conditions for Ukraine: the Verkhovna Rada has warned that up to a thousand laws may need to be passed
14 April 14:33
MP Olga Vasilevska-Smaglyuk stated that in order to complete the negotiation process for accession to the European Union, Ukraine must fulfill another 135 so-called benchmarks, which may require the adoption of approximately 1,000 new laws. She reported this on her Telegram channel, citing a relevant document that the government had provided to lawmakers, according to
According to the lawmaker, given the current pace of legislative work and the scale of the necessary reforms, completing such a volume of tasks by the end of 2027 seems unrealistic.
“That’s about a thousand new laws that need to be drafted and adopted by the Verkhovna Rada. Does that sound realistic by the end of 2027? In my opinion, not really,” the lawmaker noted.
Information regarding the existence of interim benchmarks for Ukraine within the EU negotiation process was also previously confirmed officially following the European Commission’s presentation of relevant conditions for the negotiation clusters.
What changes does the EU require in the law enforcement sector?
Separately, Vasylevska-Smaglyuk drew attention to a set of requirements concerning the reform of the law enforcement and anti-corruption systems. Among them, she said:
- restricting the Office of the Prosecutor General’s access to all criminal proceedings;
- a ban on the appointment and transfer of prosecutors without competitive procedures;
- expanding the NABU’s jurisdiction to all government positions with a high risk of corruption;
- granting the SAPO the right to independently initiate proceedings against members of parliament without the approval of the Prosecutor General;
- a ban on closing criminal proceedings due to the expiration of pre-trial investigation deadlines;
- comprehensive reform of the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) with the participation of international experts.
Some of the demands were carried over from NABU’s own strategy
It is noteworthy that some of the EU’s demands outlined by the MP actually coincide with the aspirations and initiatives that the anti-corruption agencies themselves previously published in their Development Strategy through 2030.
In particular, the action plan for implementing NABU’s Strategy for 2025–2030 addresses the right to prosecute lawmakers—without the involvement of the Prosecutor General—access to state secrets—without the involvement of the Security Service of Ukraine—and a series of amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code that substantially “rewrite” current procedural legislation.
The document itself, incidentally, emphasizes that the new strategy was developed with the support of international partners, including the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative, the U.S. government, and other donor organizations.
Thus, a number of provisions currently presented as EU requirements within the negotiation process are, in essence, initiatives of the anti-corruption establishment that had previously been declared by them as “desirable” or “necessary.”
Not Just Law Enforcement
According to Vasylevska-Smaglyuk, in addition to reforming the law enforcement system, Ukraine must also fulfill a number of large-scale economic and environmental commitments.
These include, in particular:
- implementation of European directives on combating money laundering;
- joining the Single Euro Payments Area;
- the adoption of environmental standards for waste management;
- modernizing water treatment systems;
- strengthening control over industrial emissions.
According to the MP, a significant portion of these requirements necessitates not only political decisions but also multi-billion-dollar investments from the state and the business sector.
“We either need to switch back to turbo mode or set a timeline for EU accession. Half-measures won’t cut it,” she believes.
Vasilevska-Smaglyuk’s post came amid an active phase of adapting Ukrainian legislation to EU standards, which the government calls one of the key priorities for the coming years.
As reported by
