- The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Ukraine’s Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen cooperation on transparency and integrity.
- The partnership will help protect EU investments and ensure responsible use of funds for Ukraine’s recovery.
- The initiative complements the EIB’s wider cooperation with Ukrainian law enforcement and oversight institutions to strengthen transparency and safeguard EU-supported projects in Ukraine.
The EIB and SAPO have signed an MoU to strengthen cooperation in promoting integrity and preventing potential misuse of EU investments in Ukraine.
Signed in Luxembourg by EIB Inspector General Monique Koning and Oleksandr Klymenko, Head of SAPO, the agreement establishes a framework for closer collaboration on addressing fraud, corruption and other types of prohibited conduct related to EIB-financed projects in Ukraine
By improving information sharing and coordination, the partnership will help safeguard EU financial support for Ukraine and ensure that funds are used transparently and effectively to support the country’s recovery and economic growth.
EIB Vice-President Teresa Czerwińska, who oversees the Bank’s operations in Ukraine, said: “Upholding transparency and integrity is at the heart of the EIB’s mission globally. By strengthening cooperation with Ukraine’s anti-corruption institutions, we reinforce these same principles on the ground, ensuring that EU investments deliver lasting benefits and support a fair recovery.”
“This agreement builds a strong foundation for exchanging information and cooperating to combat fraud and corruption. Working closely with SAPO will help safeguard the integrity of EIB-financed projects in Ukraine, ensuring that they are implemented with full transparency, accountability and trust,” added EIB Inspector General Monique Koning.
Head of SAPO Oleksandr Klymenko said, “We regard this MoU as a framework that will help protect the European Union’s investments in Ukraine, accelerate reconstruction and strengthen peoples’ trust. Together with the EIB, we are building mechanisms for early warning, transparent information exchange, and prevention of misuse already at the stage of project preparation and implementation. I am confident that our teams will move forward pragmatically, because at the heart of this cooperation lie public trust and the effective use of funds devoted to rebuilding our country.”
The new agreement complements the EIB’s broader collaboration with Ukrainian law enforcement and oversight bodies, including the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Economic Security Bureau, the State Bureau of Investigation, and the State Audit Service of Ukraine, reinforcing joint efforts to promote transparency, trust and good governance.
The EIB encourages anyone with information about potential irregularities or prohibited conduct related to EU-funded projects in Ukraine to report them through the Bank’s confidential reporting platform.
Background information
The EIB in Ukraine
The European Investment Bank is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by the Member States. Present in Ukraine since 2007, the EIB has significantly increased its support to strengthen the country’s resilience, recovery and modernisation following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Since then, the Bank has provided €4 billion in financing to help repair damaged infrastructure, restore essential services and sustain the economy. EIB projects in Ukraine focus on rebuilding schools and hospitals, modernising water and heating systems, upgrading roads, railways and energy networks, improving municipal infrastructure, and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises.
