On Wednesday, December 20, in its first report to the European Commission under the new mechanism for suspension of visa-free regimes, noted that immediate action is required to ensure the full implementation and sustainability of past reforms, in particular with respect to the anti-corruption benchmark.

These are the following requirements:.

Ukraine should increase cooperation with relevant EU agencies to prevent risks associated with illegal migration; to intensify targeted information campaigns that clarify the rights and duties associated with visa-free travel;.

ensure the independence, efficiency and permanence of the anti-corruption institutional structure, in particular by creating an independent and specialized higher anti-corruption court in accordance with the Venice Commission and Ukrainian legislation;.

to restore urgently the confidence in NAPK and create an effective system of verification of income declarations;.

to abolish amendments extending the scope of obligations for declaration by civil society declarers;.

Strengthen efforts to combat organized crime, including by allocating sufficient resources to the National Police, introducing a clear delimitation of competences and improving cooperation between law enforcement agencies.

At the same time, the European Commission notes that progress has been made in implementing the anti-corruption reform, in particular regarding the effective functioning of the newly formed NABU and SAP, but the stability of reforms remains a problem.

Recall, as reported URA-Inform, December 11 in the State Border Service of Ukraine reported that the visa-free regime with the EU for half a year took advantage of 355 thousand Ukrainians.