On 14 April 2026, representatives of civil society met with Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Taras Kachka at the Cabinet of Ministers. The participants discussed the draft Anti-Corruption Strategy for 2026–2030, which was submitted to the government last week. Representatives of the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) and the Government Office for Coordination of European and Euro-Atlantic Integration also took part in the meeting.
From the civil society side, participants included representatives of the Centre for Risk Assessment, Institutional Development Foundation, Transparency International Ukraine, the Anti-Corruption Center “MEZHA”, the Laboratory of Legislative Initiatives, the Energy Club of Ukraine, the NGO “Advocate of the Future”, the NGO “League of the Strong”, and the NGO “Holka”. NAKO was represented by Head of Communications Yuliia Biehlietsova.
The Deputy Prime Minister described the draft Anti-Corruption Strategy as ambitious and of high quality. The document is expected to be presented to the Cabinet of Ministers and the Verkhovna Rada in the near future. Before that, it is important to take into account feedback from civil society.
“It is important for us to hear your impressions and recommendations regarding the strategy, so that we can clearly define priorities and set the right expectations for its implementation,” the Deputy Prime Minister noted.
In their remarks, civil society representatives highlighted key sections of the strategy related to taxation, the legal profession, the prosecution system, and recovery. A central message from the discussion was that the government should ensure the document is not significantly altered during the approval process.
Taras Kachka emphasized that adopting the Anti-Corruption Strategy is one of the government’s top priorities for 2026. While the document is ready for discussion in both the government and parliament, its presentation is expected to trigger substantial debate.
The draft Anti-Corruption Strategy for 2026–2030 has been under development for two years. It is based on comprehensive research across 16 sectors most vulnerable to corruption, the results of public consultations, alignment with relevant authorities, and legal expert assessments. A total of 26 expert teams contributed to the document. NAKO was involved in drafting the section on the defence sector.
NAKO researcher Oleksandr Veherzhynskyi, who contributed to the drafting process, stressed that the document should be adopted as soon as possible:
“The need for this document has long been overdue. Moreover, the adoption of the Anti-Corruption Strategy is part of the December agreements between European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos and Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kachka, aimed at restoring international trust in Ukraine. This trust was undermined in July 2025 due to attempts by the Presidential Office to strip NABU and SAPO of their independence. At that time, thanks to the consolidation of civil society, these anti-corruption institutions were protected from external influence.”
The previous Anti-Corruption Strategy for 2021–2025 was the result of lengthy two-year discussions in parliament and was adopted only in June 2022. The approval of the State Anti-Corruption Programme—intended as the roadmap for implementing the strategy—was delayed even further and was adopted only on March 4, 2023. As a result, the implementation period of the five-year plan was effectively cut in half.
Photo: Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration