Breakfast Briefing | Rule of Law & Ukraine’s EU Accession

iborzilo
2 days ago
2 min read

On January 30, the German-Ukrainian Bureau (DUB) and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation hosted a breakfast discussion on the rule of law in Ukraine’s EU accession process, bringing together nearly 30 participants from politics, civil society, and policy circles.

The key inputs to the discussion were maid by:

• Markiyan Halabala, Judge, High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine

• Karyna Hasimova, Lead Advocacy, DEJURE Foundation

• Robin Wagener, MP, Alliance 90/The Greens

• Kateryna Musienko, ANTS NGO

The discussion moderated by Mattia Nelles was focused on recent developments following corruption revelations in the energy sector (“Mindich Gate”) and the government reshuffle. Ukrainian experts stressed that despite immense wartime pressure, reform efforts continue — particularly in the judicial sphere, which remains central to EU accession.

Speakers opened with an update from Kyiv, highlighting the critical humanitarian situation: millions of Ukrainians face limited access to heating, electricity, and water. Yet even under these conditions, reforms and the EU path remain a national priority.

Drawing on the findings of the new DEJURE Foundation report, participants underlined that:

Judicial reform is not only a governance issue but a core pillar of democratic resilience and European security
Ukraine seeks fast but merit-based EU accession, anchored in the rule of law and anti-corruption
Public support for reforms remains strong, with EU accession acting as a “lighthouse of hope” in dark times

A key takeaway: for Ukraine to turn crisis into opportunity, the EU must overcome gridlock in the accession process, including the ongoing Hungarian veto. A credible, rules-based enlargement path is essential — not only for Ukraine, but for Europe itself.

This briefing is part of the “Continuing Successful Anti-Corruption (COSAC) Reform Initiative”, funded by the German Federal Foreign Office (AA).