On 25 June 2026, at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdańsk, the United Kingdom and Germany formally joined the European Union Anti-Corruption Initiative in Ukraine (EUACI), a flagship programme supporting anti-corruption reforms and EU accession. The UK committed £2.4 million and Germany €3.5 million to the initiative, which is co-funded by the European Commission and implemented by Denmark. The EUACI provides support to Ukraine's anti-corruption institutions, parliamentary committees, ministries, civil society, independent investigative media, and Integrity Cities.
The document was signed by David Lammy, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice and Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; Niels Annen, State Secretary of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany; and Elsebeth Søndergaard Krone, State Secretary for Development Policy of Denmark. The signing took place alongside the EU Delegation to Ukraine, represented by Head of Cooperation Stefan Schleuning.
Denmark has implemented the EUACI since 2017. The programme is a key component of EU support for Ukraine's anti-corruption reforms, which are a central condition for Ukraine's EU membership negotiations. The opening of negotiations on the Fundamentals cluster is expected to provide new momentum for accession-related reforms. With the UK and Germany on board, the EUACI will expand its work across all components, with a new priority on anti-corruption mainstreaming at the sector level.
The announcement has positive impacts on several stakeholders. For Ukraine's anti-corruption institutions and civil society, the additional funding and political backing strengthen their capacity to investigate and prosecute corruption, enhancing transparency and accountability. For the EU and its member states, the initiative reinforces the credibility of the accession process and demonstrates international solidarity with Ukraine. For the UK and Germany, joining the programme signals their commitment to European security and governance reform. A potential negative impact is that the expanded programme may increase administrative burdens on Ukrainian institutions, which are already under strain from the war and reform demands. Overall, the initiative represents a moderate but significant policy development, strengthening the anti-corruption framework that underpins Ukraine's EU integration.