'Don’t Know If von der Leyen Spoke to Zelensky': EU Says Graft Fight Key to Ukraine’s EU Accession

APT

The European Commission has responded to questions about whether President Ursula von der Leyen discussed Ukraine’s latest corruption scandal with Volodymyr Zelensky. A Commission spokesperson said they were “not aware” if the issue was raised but emphasized that the fight against corruption remains central to Ukraine’s EU accession process. Brussels reaffirmed that transparency and reforms are vital for progress in membership talks.  #Ukraine #Zelensky #EU #EuropeanUnion #VonDerLeyen

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00:00I would like to ask you if the Commission is somehow worried that some countries will not

00:07apply the Pact of Migration Rules, given that, for example, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban

00:15clearly stated, and I'm reading, we will not implement the Migration Pact, we will not take

00:21in migrants and we will not pay a single for it for them. Thank you very much.

00:26Yes, Vincenzo. Thank you very much, Vincenzo. Now, when it comes to our proposal from this week,

00:34it's now for the Council to adopt the implementing decision establishing the solidarity pool.

00:39We can, of course, not know what this agreement will look like, but as you know, we took the time to

00:43calibrate the proposal and we are confident that Member States can come to an agreement on the basis

00:49of what we have proposed. And, of course, our work will continue in order for the Pact to be fully

00:54implemented by June 2026. Now, when it comes to the question of the binding nature of the Pact,

01:03let me reiterate, the Pact will enter into application mid-2026. There is no doubt about

01:10this. The Commission is working with all Member States and supports where necessary to ensure that

01:15all Member States are ready by then. Once adopted, the legal instruments of the Pact are binding

01:20on all Member States. My question is about the corruption scandal engulfing Ukraine. What is the

01:27European Commission's assessment of this? Is it good or bad news for Ukraine's EU accession

01:33bids? Are those hopes totally dashed now? Any comment would be great. Thank you.

01:37Thank you, Angela. Yes, Guillaume. Thank you for the questions. So this investigation

01:45shows that the anti-corruption bodies are in place and functioning in Ukraine. The fight

01:50against corruption has been central to our enlargement package, which provides a general position on the

01:56matter. Let me stress that the fight against corruption is key for a country to join the EU.

02:02It requires continuous efforts to guarantee a strong capacity to combat corruption and the respect for

02:08the rule of law. So the role of those independent anti-corruption bodies, which are cornerstone of

02:15Ukraine's rule of law as a future Member States must be safeguarded. The Commission will continue to monitor

02:21the situation. Yeah, but I think it's really important to underline that these investigations, which are

02:32taking place in Ukraine, show that the anti-corruption work and institutions are there to precisely fight

02:41against it. And this is obviously an area to which we pay particular attention also in the context of

02:49the accession process, as Guillaume just said. Other questions to Guillaume?

02:55Angela, you have a follow-up? Thank you so

03:02much. From the European Commission in contact with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

03:10regarding these developments, I remember there was a bit of between the two capitals, the last

03:17anti-corruption incident. Thank you. Thank you, Angela. I can tell you for sure that President

03:23von der Leyen is really in regular contact, very regular contact with President Zelenskyy.

03:30I can't confirm whether there has been any contact in this context, but as said, they are,

03:36they speak very frequently and regularly.

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