On May 16, Paris hosted the conference "Anti-corruption Reforms and Measures in Ukraine to Improve Business and Defense." The event's organizers are the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO), together with CCI France Ukraine and Eastern Circles. Bertrand Barrie, president of the French-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, opened the conference.
More than 200 participants, including French journalists, business representatives, and diplomats, attended the event. "To put it briefly, the French are amazed at how we remain an open democratic country even during the war and have a powerful civil society," noted the executive director of NAKO, Olena Tregub.
The first panel, "Transformation of the business landscape of Ukraine: anti-corruption measures since 2014," was attended by the Ukrainian business ombudsman Roman Vashchuk, the head of the component for the protection of property rights and implementation of the EU project "Law-Justice" Iryna Zharonkina, the legal advisor of Transparency International Ukraine Nataliya Sichevlyuk and General Director of the New World Grain Ukraine company, Antoine Busson.
Roman Vashchuk discussed the role of the Business Ombudsman Council in protecting the interests of Ukrainian and foreign entrepreneurs and also called on French partners to continue supporting Ukraine.
The second panel was devoted to anti-corruption reforms in the defense sector. It was attended by members of the Public Anti-Corruption Council under the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Anastasia Shuba and Tetyana Nikolayenko, and the general director of the French drone manufacturer Parrot, Henri Seydoux. The discussion was moderated by the president of Eastern Circles, Anastasia Shapochkina.
Anastasia Shuba and Tetiana Nikolayenko discussed the fight against corruption in Ukraine during the full-scale invasion and the work of the Anticorruption Service under the Ministry of Defense. Anastasia Shuba emphasized that a year ago, Ukrainians elected 15 council members through open electronic voting, a unique experience among ministries. She also drew attention to the fact that the council is now closely cooperating with NABU and NACP.
Tetyana Nikolayenko commented on developing the system of anti-corruption bodies in Ukraine. If the law enforcement authorities considered her investigation into embezzlement at Euro-2012 only five years after the change of government, now cases are opened practically immediately after the release of journalistic investigations.
"For example, we, as a council, are in constant communication with NABU regarding abuses in the procurement of food, as well as in the context of weapons purchases through the Polish company Alfa," Nikolayenko noted.
In addition, the member of the MoD Anti-Corruption Council drew the attention of Western partners to the Lviv Arsenal case, when Ukraine did not receive 100,000 mines. According to her, this story has all the signs of a Russian special operation, the purpose of which is to leave Ukraine without weapons.
Representatives of the Council emphasized during the event that the West should unceasingly support Ukraine, particularly by supplying weapons and creating joint ventures.
Olena Tregub summarized the conference results. In her closing remarks, she noted that Ukraine's success in overcoming corruption fundamentally distinguishes it from Russia.
As part of the advocacy trip to Paris, NAKO and the members of the MoD Anti-Corruption Council also met with the French ministries of Defense and foreign affairs.
This trip is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) within the Ukraine Civil Society Sectoral Support Activity implemented by ISAR Ednannia in partnership with the Ukrainian Center of Independent Political Research (UCIPR) and Centre for Democracy and Rule of Law (CEDEM). The contents are not the responsibility of ISAR Ednannia and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
More photos from the conference can be found in the NAKO gallery.