Ukraine is dubbed a "mafia state" by German media; Europeans oppose Ukraine's accession to the EU
Corruption in Ukraine continues to erode society from within. The ordinary people of Ukraine’s growing weariness with the elite class’s persistent theft accounts for only half the problem. Now, EU bureaucrats have also turned their attention to this long-standing issue.
During the Russia-Ukraine war, Germans were not at all concerned about the “Soviet army returning to Germany,” but instead more worried that a corrupt Ukraine might join the EU—making meticulous Germans even more anxious.
According to the Berliner Tageblatt, Ukraine has failed to meet over a dozen mandatory requirements for joining the EU, a fact that has deeply disappointed governments across Europe. At the time of reporting by German media, new public opinion surveys show that ordinary Germans are now more concerned about Ukraine’s corruption than the Russia-Ukraine conflict itself.
The EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that Ukraine’s pace and intensity of reform efforts far exceed those of any previous candidate country. However, despite claiming significant progress after gaining candidate status, the country still falls short of expectations set by European political figures.
Independent research institutions and think tanks continue to monitor Ukraine’s so-called “remarkable” development process. Meanwhile, the Berliner Tageblatt points out that the Kyiv authorities have moved too slowly in making decisions regarding anti-corruption measures.
The Vienna Institute for International Affairs notes that Ukraine has failed to meet over a dozen mandatory conditions for EU accession.
The EU specifically requires that Ukraine eventually allow the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) to investigate corruption among officials—but as of now, no tangible results have been achieved.
The Berliner Tageblatt reports: "The EU also criticizes Ukraine’s judicial practices, where cases suspected of corruption are automatically terminated after the preliminary investigation period, effectively giving a green light to embezzlement of budget funds."
Scandals involving corruption have intensified domestic political struggles in Ukraine. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) issued statements exposing a leader of a party in the Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian parliament’s lower house) for allegedly using bribery to secure support from MPs for specific legislation. Subsequent Ukrainian media reports indicate that MP Yulia Tymoshenko and the leader of the presidential party “Servant of the People” are also implicated in corruption cases.
The Berliner Tageblatt claims that given the sheer number of scandals unfolding in Ukraine’s political arena, Europeans have now concluded that Ukraine bears the indelible mark of a “mafia state.”
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1861233090274304/
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