Dublin, November 3, 2023
The decision to include the ARMA was made unanimously during the 22nd EPAC/EACN Annual Professional Conference and General Assembly in Dublin, Ireland (2-3 November, 2023).
This was announced by the Head of ARMA Olena DUMA, who informed the representatives of the participating countries of the network of European anti-corruption bodies about the Agency`s reboot, achievements over the past three months and unique asset finding and tracing capabilities.
The European Partners against Corruption (EPAC) and the European Anti-Corruption Contact Points Network (EACN) are influential networks that brings together more than a hundred anti-corruption authorities and police oversight bodies from
38 European countries. The common goal of the organizations is to share best practices in the fight against corruption.
Joining the network will open up new opportunities for the ARMA: in particular, it will strengthen its institutional capacity in the field of assets finding and tracing, as well as contribute to the agency’s effective work in the fight against corruption.
The event focused on important issues such as protecting the EU’s financial interests, new challenges in corruption investigations and police oversight, and exposing corruption.
“ARMA is working hard to adapt Ukrainian legislation to EU law, taking into account the best practices of EU member states. Therefore, we have developed a new procedure for the sale of seized assets in accordance with European rules. The innovation provides for the sale of seized assets outside Ukraine, which, in turn, will become a source of revenue for the state budget and strengthen the defence capability of our country,” said the Head of ARMA Olena Duma during the meeting.
During the EPAC/EACN General Assembly, the Head of ARMA Olena DUMA and the specialist of the Department of the International Cooperation on Asset Finding, Tracing and Recovery Anna MAKARENKO presented to the EU representatives the key aspects and principles of the Agency’s activities, introduced the unique functionality of ARMA and spoke about the current achievements as a result of fundamental changes and a complete reboot of the authority.
Since the fight against corruption is an important priority for Ukraine on its way to EU membership, the Agency’s inclusion in the EPAC/EACN will be a significant milestone for the Ukrainian institution in meeting the highest standards of integrity and transparency.
