Netherlands call law on NABU and SAPO "significant setback"
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, Caspar Veldkamp, called the actions of the Ukrainian authorities to restrict the activities of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) a significant setback.
Veldkamp wrote about this on the social network X (Twitter) on Tuesday, July 23.
"Ukraine's anti-corruption institutions are vital to its reform path. Restricting them would be a significant setback," his post says.
He noted that ensuring the independence of the above-mentioned institutions remains a key condition for Ukraine's accession to the European Union.
With his tweet, Veldkamp responded to a message from the European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy, Marta Kos. Yesterday, July 22, she wrote that the EU is "seriously concerned" about the results of the Ukrainian parliament's vote on the bill on NABU and SAPO.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on July 22, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine voted in the second reading for the bill No. 12414.
This bill provides for granting the Prosecutor General access to all NABU and SAPO cases. He will also receive the authority to independently report suspicions to top officials.
The Director of NABU and the Head of SAPO appealed to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, urging him to veto the bill No. 12414.
However, on the evening of July 22, the Head of State signed the bill No. 12414. It entered into force today, July 23.
Recall that a list of names of Verkhovna Rada members who supported the bill on NABU and SAPO was previously published.