Judicial reform is Ukraine's key obstacle to EU integration — MEP Michael Gahler

German Member of the European Parliament and the body's permanent rapporteur on Ukraine, Michael Gahler, stated this in an interview with Espreso TV.

In his view, beyond the challenges posed by the war, which has been a nightmare for state institutions and citizens alike, Ukraine’s key obstacles on its path to EU membership lie in adapting to the extensive body of regulations that define the European Union. Gahler noted that this has always been a significant test for all candidate countries in the past.

"Ukraine comes out of these old Soviet structures and sometimes thinking. Like the Baltic states, which were also part of the Soviet Union, you can see in their examples — of course, they are smaller — how they have overcome it and embraced the EU opportunities that come with European Union membership. I think this is the chance, on the one hand. But, on the other hand, it is also a challenge," the MEP noted.

He explained that Ukraine’s legal and judicial systems need reforming to meet current European standards.

"For instance, your legal sector and judiciary definitely need to be reformed in order to properly apply existing European rules. When it comes to violations of the law, judges and prosecutors have to think in new ways and should no longer be prepared to accept bribes, as they did in the past, or to be dependent on powerful structures, whether political or economic. No one should think that they can buy the judiciary for their own purposes. These are things that all the citizens — all the good willing citizens of Ukraine — want. These are the proclaimed objectives of both the government and the opposition, and of all the parties, where there is broad consensus with regard to EU integration. But in practical terms, these are real challenges that lie ahead, and we are willing to be supportive with our measures. The EU has hundreds, if not thousands, of experts on the ground, helping to address these challenges," Michael Gahler stated.

You can read the full interview here.

• Ukraine has already formed 36 working groups to prepare negotiating positions on accession to the European Union in all clusters.