EU urges Ukraine to speed justice reform, battle corruption

The European Union appealed to Ukraine to make good on long-promised justice and economic reforms and to step up the fight against corruption, as both sides announced a review of a key agreement governing their relations.

After a meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in Brussels, top EU officials said the country’s government must pursue the pro-democracy reforms even as it struggles to cope with the impact of the coronavirus.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that justice reform is the key. "This is the mother of all reforms. You cannot pretend to have rule of law, human rights, whatever you want, without an independent and efficient judiciary system. This is the core of a democratic country," Borrell told reporters.

"It’s not a condition that we the Europe Union puts on the table. It’s something that Ukrainian people need and ask for," Borrell said, although the reforms are part of an 'Association Agreement' the EU has with Ukraine, and which entered force in 2017.