EU Presses Ukraine on Anti-Corruption and Judicial Reforms
After a session of the EU Council, at a meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs on January 18th, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier stated that the European Union expressed concern about the insufficient progress of Ukraine in carrying out reforms. Steinmeier noted that it is important for Ukraine to reform the justice system and put anti-corruption measures in place. According to him, these are the key steps to solving the economic problems in the country.
The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, stated that the EU acknowledges the outstanding work carried out by the Ukrainian authorities over the past months. However, Mogherini noted that it isn’t enough to simply start the process; this process should be continued and made sustainable.
Furthermore, the European Union reminded Ukraine of the need to implement the Minsk Agreements. The British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Philip Hammond, stated that it is important for Ukraine to be able to decisively look in the Russians’ eyes if they accuse them of violating the Minsk Agreements.