In the first reading, the Verkhovna Rada supported draft laws on NABU and inspections of officialsʼ property

On November 21, in the first reading, the Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian Parliament) supported draft law No. 10203-1 on increasing the staff of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) by 300 people.

The MP of the "Voice" faction Yaroslav Zheleznyak reported this.

Therefore, not 700, but a thousand people will work at NABU. The draft law also provides for the phased holding of a competition to fill additional vacant positions: in 2024 — for 100 positions; in 2025 — for 100 positions; in 2026 — for 100 positions.

In addition, the Verkhovna Rada adopted in the first reading draft law No. 10262 on the possibility for the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NAPC) to check the assets and property of officials, which they acquired before being appointed to public office.

The need for such laws is spelled out in the requirements of the European Commission regarding the start of negotiations with Ukraine on joining the EU. Now peopleʼs deputies must vote for them in the second reading, after which the president can sign them.

• On November 8, 2023, the European Commission recommended starting negotiations with Ukraine about its membership in the EU. In Brussels, they said that they saw "substantial progress" on the way to Ukraineʼs accession. In particular, in Ukraine, a transparent system of preliminary selection of judges of the Constitutional Court was introduced and judicial management bodies were reformed; continued the investigation of high-level corruption, Ukraine also took positive steps in the broader and systematic fight against the influence of oligarchs.