Representatives of business and the OECD met in Kyiv to discuss future changes within the framework of joining the organization

On December 15, with the support of the OECD, a UNIC workshop was held on the topic "How OECD anti-bribery standards and instruments will help support doing business honestly in Ukraine ."

The event was attended by OECD experts, representatives of UNIC member companies, NABU, BOC, NACP, the Ministry of Economy, and the OECD Ukraine Liaison Office. This workshop was the first in a series of OECD events for the business community in Ukraine to raise awareness and open discussion of OECD anti-bribery standards in the country.

The workshop considered the impact of OECD requirements on doing business in Ukraine, the introduction of criminal liability of legal entities for bribery, and the implementation of the corresponding reform. It also fostered an open dialogue between business and government representatives regarding joint actions in the direction of joining the Convention against Bribery.

According to the Head of the UNIC Secretariat, Antonina Prudko, Ukraine's accession to the OECD involves joining several instruments and conventions of the organization, and legislative changes are expected. Antonina Prudko highlighted, "Among the first steps is joining the OECD Working Group on Bribery and the Convention on Combatting Bribery, as well as implementing its provisions. These steps require a concerted effort by the business community and government, and we have a lot of work ahead of us to meet the new standards and guidelines. This will directly change Ukrainian business, and integrity will become the cornerstone of its functioning."

Michal Falenczyk, Deputy Head, OECD Ukraine Liaison Office, highlighted the substantial progress made by Ukraine in cooperating with the OECD. Despite the challenges posed by the war, Ukraine signed a partnership agreement with the OECD in 2023, launching a four-year reform and reconstruction support program. This program involves the adoption of 76 legislative instruments and cooperation with 25 OECD committees and working groups. Falenczyk emphasized the importance of Ukraine's collaboration with the OECD in combating corruption.

Tetiana Khavanska, Head of ACN Business Integrity Programme and Anti-Corruption Technical Assistance Projects to Ukraine, OECD, provided insights into Ukraine's progress in the fight against corruption. She noted that Ukraine submitted an application to join the OECD and its Working Group in 2022, and in February 2023, Ukraine was granted the status of a participating country for two years. Khavanska outlined the requirements Ukraine must fulfil during this period to join the Convention against Bribery.

To achieve this goal, the National Working Group on Cooperation with the OECD under the auspices of the Office of the President of Ukraine initiated a reform of the legislation on the liability of legal entities for corruption offences and developed a draft concept of criminal liability.

Oleksandr Melnychenko, Head of the International Cooperation Sector, NABU, shared detailed plans for implementing the Convention, reflected in the government's DAP for 2023-2025. The main legislative changes in Ukraine within the framework of the Convention include establishing criminal liability for bribery of a foreign person (implemented), the liability of a legal entity for international bribery (in progress), and introducing a ban on deducting bribes from the tax base (in progress).

Glib Bakalov, Chairman of the Executive Committee of UNIC, highlighted the external component of the OECD convention against bribery in terms of communication of Ukrainian business with international partners and prevention of corruption risks during business relations abroad. He emphasized that this will indirectly affect internal processes and business conduct within the country.

Tetiana Korotka, Deputy Business Ombudsman of Ukraine, BOC,  stressed the importance of Ukraine feeling like an active part of the OECD through its work with the Working Group on Bribery. She emphasized the need for informational and practical work to strengthen the understanding of problems, find solutions, and secure them with legislative changes.

The workshop is organised by the OECD Anti-Corruption Network for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (OECD/ACN) in partnership with the Ukrainian Network of Integrity and Compliance (UNIC). Funding is provided by the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the framework of the OECD Project to support anti-corruption in Ukraine.