On 7 September 2026, the National Agency of Ukraine for Finding, Tracing and Management of Assets Derived from Corruption and Other Crimes (ARMA) held the European Asset Recovery Strategy Forum — the first international expert forum dedicated to the strategic development of the asset recovery system and the exchange of experience in developing, implementing and executing national strategies in this area.
The Forum served as an international platform for professional dialogue among representatives of competent authorities of Ukraine and foreign states, international organisations, specialised institutions in the field of asset recovery, law enforcement agencies and the expert community.
Representatives of 20 foreign states took part in the event, including Romania, Luxembourg, Cyprus, Germany, Portugal, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Norway, the United Kingdom, Malta, Estonia, Austria, Ireland, Slovakia, Moldova, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
Representatives of the Council of Europe, EUAM Ukraine, GIZ, IACA, the GUAM Secretariat, the ARIN-WCA Secretariat and the Association for Cooperation and Sustainable Development (ACDD) also joined the international dialogue.
The Ukrainian side was represented by ARMA, the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, the Office of the Prosecutor General, the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine, the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, the State Customs Service of Ukraine and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine. Representatives of Transparency International Ukraine and the Institute of Legislative Ideas also joined the work of the Forum.
The Ukraine’s Asset Recovery Strategy for 2026–2030 was at the centre of the international dialogue. Its strategic objectives, implementation mechanisms, key challenges and expected results were the focus of the discussion.
Particular attention was paid to the compliance of the future Strategy with the provisions of Directive (EU) 2024/1260 and international standards in the field of finding, tracing, freezing, confiscation and recovery of assets.
Opening the Forum, Acting Head of ARMA Yaroslava Maksymenko emphasised that effective asset recovery requires a systematic approach, proper interagency coordination and strengthened international cooperation.
The Forum participants discussed international experience in developing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating national asset recovery strategies, as well as practical mechanisms that ensure the achievement of strategic objectives defined by states.
A separate block of discussions focused on the practice of GUAM member states in the field of international cooperation, information exchange, tracing and recovery of assets. The participants also discussed the role of informal cooperation networks, in particular ARIN-WCA, in ensuring the prompt exchange of information and developing cross-border cooperation.
Representatives of international organisations and the expert community provided an assessment of Ukraine’s approach to strategic planning in the field of asset recovery and outlined practices and tools that may be taken into account in the further development and implementation of Ukraine’s Asset Recovery Strategy.
Coordination and international cooperation — the basis for effective asset recovery.
One of the key issues of the Forum was the development of an effective system of interagency and international cooperation. The participants emphasised the need for coordinated action by competent authorities, effective information exchange, clear mechanisms for implementing strategic objectives, as well as regular monitoring and evaluation of the results achieved.
The European Asset Recovery Strategy Forum launched an international expert dialogue on the strategic development of the asset recovery system and created a platform for the systematic exchange of practical experience among competent authorities of different states.
