31/07/2025 (Agence Europe) – On Thursday 31 July, the Presidents of the European Council, António Costa, and the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, welcomed the ratification by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of the new law restoring the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), adopted earlier in the day by the Ukrainian Parliament. In their view, this ratification is a “welcome step”. “Ukraine’s rule of law and anti-corruption reforms should continue”, they stressed in a joint message published on X. Last week, the EU expressed its concern at the adoption of a law ending the independence of the two anti-corruption bodies (see EUROPE 13686/14). (CG)