Ukraine can easily cope with EU demands for reforms, said German Ambassador to Ukraine Anka Feldhusen.
“I think that Ukraine can easily cope with them, because these are really demands that have already been in place for many years. There is already progress. Perhaps not the progress that Ukrainians themselves would like, especially in the field of judicial reform … We, your partners, especially the G7, are constantly in contact with the Ukrainian government regarding these issues,” Feldhusen said at a briefing at the Ukraine media center on Monday.
The diplomat stressed that for her the most important issue has always been judicial reform in Ukraine.
“We have successfully implemented the decentralization reform. I think that this is really a success story. But the judicial reform is the second reform that will really change the country. All the years that I have been working in Ukraine, I have watched the steps that have been taken, I I will continue to do so,” she said.
Feldhusen pointed out that judicial reform “has never been easy.”
“But if there is political will, a lot can be done there,” she said.
As reported, the European Commission recommended that the European Council grant Ukraine the status of a candidate member of the European Union with the subsequent implementation of the necessary steps. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen indicated that this meant the country would pursue a number of further important reforms.
Reform of decentralization and judicial reform are important on the path of Ukraine’s European integration, German Ambassador to Ukraine Anka Feldhusen has said.
“This is already my 12th year in Ukraine, and I really want to make a contribution to bring Ukraine closer to the EU and, in my opinion, there are two very important topics. The first is the reform of decentralization. Last year we successfully completed the stage of unification of territorial communities, there were very successful local elections, and now we are still working on what legal status the communities will have, what kind of finance they will receive directly,” Feldhusen said at a virtual meeting, broadcasting on Facebook on Tuesday.
According to her, it is important that communities can now actively work in the interests of their residents.
“But this reform, indeed, is already at its final stage. There is another reform that has hardly started yet. This is judicial reform, and I think this will be my most important priority this year,” Feldhusen said.
The ambassador also said that Germany has already received an invitation to take part in the celebrations of the Independence Day of Ukraine in 2021, adding that high-ranking guests from Germany are expected to visit Ukraine to participate in the first summit of the Crimean Platform on August 23.
