An e-declaration system in test-mode therefore makes little sense and might actually be counterproductive.

Claims that technical deficiencies are behind the failed issuance of a timely certificate are in contrast to public statements by the UNDP and other reliable experts, which clearly underline that the system is fully in line with international standards and can be used to collect and publish declarations in an entirely legal way already at this stage. These are the tasks that the NAPC needs to fulfil as of now.

It is now important that the relevant Ukrainian authorities at all levels resolve any outstanding technical or administrative issues without delay, in line with relevant EU-Ukraine commitments. We appreciated last week's call by the President to ensure the timely and fully-fledged launch of the system without any artificial delay and fully support the declaration by the Prime Minister on 15 August, requesting that any outstanding issues preventing a full launch of the e-declaration system, including its legal certification, must be solved in the shortest time possible.

Failure to swiftly resolve this issue could undermine Ukraine's important anti-corruption efforts, which are essential for a successful reform process, supported by the EU.