What changed between the plenary report and the adopted text

8. Recalls that Europe has already supported Ukraine with EUR 50 billion in military aid but underlines that further assistance is required and that such support now depends largely on Europe itself; urges the Member States to provide more arms and ammunition to Ukraine before any negotiations are concluded, and to substantially reinforce intelligence sharing with Ukraine; calls on the EU Member States, international partners and NATO allies to lift all restrictions on the use of Western weapons systems delivered to Ukraine against military targets in Russian territory; welcomes Ukraine’s efforts to strengthen its domestic defence industrial base, including the production of drones and other critical technologies; insists on the paramount importance of cooperation with and the integration of Ukraine into EU defence initiatives, including the integration of the Ukrainian defence industry into the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base in order to strengthen the EU's strategic autonomy; encourages the development of joint arms manufacturing projects with EU and NATO partners; calls on the Commission and the Member States to support these initiatives through the European Defence Industrial Strategy and relevant instruments, in order to reinforce Ukraine’s long-term self-defence capabilities; highlights the urgency of properly financing the European defence industry programme’s Ukraine Support Instrument, which has not yet had any funds allocated to it;

9. Reiterates its call on the EU Member States to follow the Danish and Dutch examples to partner with the Ukrainian defence industry and support their production capacities in the most efficient manner;

10. Welcomes the achievements of the EU Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM), which has provided training for Ukrainian military personnel; supports the Council’s decision of 8 November 2024 to extend the mandate of the mission for two years; calls for EUMAM’s financial, logistical and human resources to be expanded and adapted to the evolving military training needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as well as to long-term reform efforts in line with the joint security commitments between the EU and Ukraine; emphasises that EUMAM should also act as a platform for the exchange of best practices, ensuring that European forces benefit from the battlefield experience of the Ukrainian Armed Forces;

11. Condemns in the strongest terms the violent actions of Russia, and the complicity of Belarus, in the mistreatment of Ukrainian children, including murder, forced transfer, deportation and illegal adoption and in erasing Ukrainian identity by enforced Russification; calls for the EU to cooperate closely with and support Ukrainian authorities, international organisations and NGOs in documenting all missing and deported children, ensuring their safe return and reintegration, and providing the necessary legal, psychological and social support;

12. Condemns Russia’s inhumane treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war, including torture and executions, which grossly violates the Geneva Conventions, while Russian prisoners of war in Ukraine enjoy all the rights afforded to them by international law, including visits and assistance from the international organisations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC); welcomes the largest prisoner exchange to date, which took place in May 2025, and calls for the EU, its Member States and the international community to facilitate further exchanges and apply necessary pressure to ensure they continue; deplores the illegal imprisonment of Ukrainian civilians by Russia, who are being held incommunicado and under inhumane conditions, which includes torture and extrajudicial killings; calls for increased international pressure to ensure the release of all detained Ukrainians; calls on the ICRC to insist that the Russian authorities provide international ICRC representatives unhindered access to all locations where Ukrainian prisoners of war are held;

13. Underlines the importance of comprehensive accountability and justice mechanisms; welcomes Ukraine’s ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and corresponding amendments to the Criminal Code; welcomes the Core Group Foreign Ministers’ Joint Statement (Lviv Statement) of 9 May 2025 on the establishment of a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine; underlines that prosecuting the crime of aggression is essential for upholding the rules-based international order and preventing impunity; calls for the EU institutions and Member States to continue supporting the establishment and functioning of the Special Tribunal within the framework of the Council of Europe; encourages all parties to guarantee that Ukrainian civil society organisations and victims of the war can play a meaningful role in the tribunal’s work; is convinced that a just and lasting peace is possible only when Ukrainian children, other civilians forcibly deported or detained, and prisoners of war, are released and reunited with their families, and when those responsible are brought to justice;

17. Deplores the obstructive behaviour of governments within the EU that have threatened to veto or undermine restrictive measures against Russia; supports the intention to criminalise the violation and circumvention of sanctions in Ukraine, as proposed in urgent draft law No. 12406; underlines that enforcing such legislation is essential to closing loopholes that allow sanctioned assets to be withdrawn during the blocking stage and to bringing to justice enablers of Russia’s war of aggression; urges Ukraine to adopt this draft law in line with the relevant EU best practices;

18. Urges the Commission and the Member States to confiscate the immobilised Russian assets and make them available for Ukraine’s defence, reconstruction and reparations for victims, in line with international law and the principle of state responsibility; stresses, in order to achieve the former, the paramount importance of ensuring that sovereign Russian assets remain immobilised within the EU;

19. Calls for strong leadership from the Council and the Commission to find a sustainable solution regarding the EU’s temporary protection mechanism for over 4 million Ukrainians, which has been extended until March 2026; emphasises the need to ensure equal treatment and prevent fragmentation across the EU; highlights the importance of upholding the rights of Ukrainians who cannot return and wish to remain in the EU, while also supporting those who choose to return and rebuild their lives in Ukraine;

20. Encourages Ukraine and the Member States to cooperate closely with a view to maximising the potential economic participation of Ukraine’s refugee and diaspora population to ensure resilience and inclusivity of Ukraine’s ongoing and future economic recovery and reconstruction;

Commitment to EU accession

22. Strongly welcomes Ukraine’s steadfast dedication to meeting the requirements of EU membership, including compliance with the EU acquis, despite Russia’s brutal and relentless war of aggression and its recently renewed escalation; urges Ukraine to maintain its dedication and pace of reforms; highlights the strong momentum in the implementation of reforms in Ukraine and welcomes Ukraine’s increasing rate of alignment with the EU’s common foreign and security policy, which amounted to 95 % in 2024; notes that EU reform demands under the accession process are supported by over 70 % of Ukrainians, underlining the significance of continued EU leverage, structured conditionality and public communication during this period;

Democracy, the rule of law and the fight against corruption

23. Commends Ukraine’s extraordinary efforts in strengthening democratic institutions during wartime; encourages Ukraine and its government to keep up the pace of reforms; recalls that, according to widely recognised democratic principles and Ukraine’s Constitution, elections cannot be held during wartime and under martial law; underlines that democratic elections require adequate time for preparation and access to information to meet international standards; calls on the Ukrainian authorities to refrain from untimely and politically motivated judicial proceedings and sanctions against opposition representatives, and to uphold parliamentary pluralism and foster constructive dialogue across political factions in the Verkhovna Rada;

24. Reiterates the recommendation, in the context of EU accession, to lift all restrictions on mandate-related and political foreign travel for members of the Verkhovna Rada; emphasises the importance of respecting and reinforcing the institutional role of the Verkhovna Rada, and supports ongoing reform efforts to enhance its legislative capacity, oversight of the executive and accountability to the public;

25. Welcomes the adoption of the Law on Law-Making, which the Commission has assessed as a foundational step towards a more structured and effective legislative process in Ukraine following the eventual lifting of martial law and the efforts of Ukraine’s Central Election Commission in updating the national voter register;

26. Salutes the development by Ukraine, in cooperation with the Commission, of three reform roadmaps covering the rule of law, public administration reform and the functioning of democratic institutions, with anti-corruption efforts embedded throughout; notes that these roadmaps, once approved by the Commission, will serve as a critical benchmark for monitoring Ukraine’s reform progress; welcomes the inclusion of anti-corruption efforts as an integral element of all three roadmaps; underlines the importance of anchoring reforms within broader societal and political transformations to ensure their long-term durability, effective implementation, and the independent functioning of public institutions; stresses the importance of nurturing a constructive political culture and fostering trust-based cooperation among political parties in Ukraine; notes positively the active participation of Ukrainian parliamentarians in the Jean Monnet Dialogue and encourages the application of European best practices to promote cross-party collaboration in the face of shared challenges on the path to EU membership;

27. Welcomes progress in judicial reform during the reporting period and encourages Ukraine to further enhance transparency in its legislative processes and to allocate to it increased financial, human and technical resources to address the challenges obstructing judicial development, increase judicial independence and strengthen the fight against corruption, thereby ensuring alignment with EU standards while avoiding superficial measures that could hinder EU accession;

28. Notes that, despite the improved legislative framework, the judiciary remains one of the sectors more vulnerable to corruption and political interference, as evidenced by repeated instances of high-scale corruption and undue influence in court and judicial institutions operations, including the Constitutional Court of Ukraine (CCU) and the HQCJ; notes with concern the continued paralysis of the CCU, and urges swift appointment of the remaining judges and filling of vacancies at the High Council of Justice; calls, furthermore, on the Verkhovna Rada to adopt a Law on the Constitutional Court in line with Venice Commission opinions and, in addition, calls on Ukraine to adopt an action plan and internal reforms to prevent undue interference and to strengthen judicial ethics; underlines the particular importance of safeguarding the institutional independence of the HQCJ also in the light of commitments made under international agreements, including with the International Monetary Fund; emphasises the need to intensify the fight against corruption and vested interests in the judiciary, which is indispensable for building public trust and advancing Ukraine’s accession process; highlights the importance of transparent and merit-based selection processes for judicial governance bodies and managerial positions, including the involvement of independent national and international experts; stresses the need for depoliticised judicial appointments, functional integrity safeguards, transparency, integrity, accountability and enhanced international monitoring to prevent selective justice and foster public confidence in the judiciary;

29. Notes with concern the critical shortage of judges, excessive caseloads in most courts, substantial funding deficiencies and the uneven distribution of judicial work, all of which undermine the quality and timeliness of proceedings and impede citizens’ access to justice; stresses the need to address these issues, including through the use of mediation and procedural filtering mechanisms to alleviate pressure on the judiciary; notes that Transparency International ranked Ukraine 105th out of 180 countries in its 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index, scoring 35 out of 100 points, which underscores the scale of ongoing challenges in anti-corruption governance; stresses that improving judicial education and completing the digitalisation of Ukraine’s courts are key to Ukraine’s broader judicial reform;

30. Welcomes the appointment of a new head of the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) and the commencement of independent audits to evaluate the effectiveness of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) in combating corruption; salutes the entry into force of the amended Criminal Code and of the Criminal Procedure Code, which are expected to enhance the efficiency of anti-corruption enforcement, notably through improvements to the plea bargaining framework; recognises the increase in annual verdicts delivered by the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) and the rise in indictments submitted by NABU and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), reflecting steady progress in prosecutorial activity; welcomes the restoration of asset declaration procedures and public access, the strengthening of conflict-of-interest regulations, and improvements in the independence of the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office; commends the adoption of the action plan for implementing the 2024–2025 asset recovery strategy and related measures; calls for the urgent reform of the Asset Recovery and Management Agency and supports the prompt adoption of draft law No. 12374-d to enhance its functioning; welcomes the expansion of staff within the Specialised Environmental Prosecutor’s Office of the Office of the Prosecutor General and urges continued development of anti-corruption policies in natural resource governance;

31. Notes the continuing shortage of judges at the HACC and stresses the urgency of launching a new transparent competition to fill vacant posts, ensuring the Court has sufficient personnel and premises to function effectively; highlights the need to fill the vacant position of Prosecutor General without delay and underlines the importance of reinforcing the institutional independence of the office, while ensuring proper checks on its powers;

34. Welcomes the adoption of the Law ‘On Lobbying’ as part of Ukraine’s de-oligarchisation agenda; stresses the need for a renewed and comprehensive strategy to counter oligarchic influence, ensuring the involvement of national stakeholders, international experts, and civil society organisations; encourages the Ukrainian authorities to continue working on reforming the governance of state-owned enterprises (SOE) in line with OECD guidelines, in order to minimise the potential for patronage and to prevent corruption, including by publishing all SOE beneficial-ownership data, and ensuring that all major SOEs have independent, gender-balanced boards;

35. Emphasises the importance of further reform in financial control, including improving the monitoring performance by the State Audit Service and proper implementation of the Accounting Chamber reform to safeguard national spending;

36. Acknowledges the findings of the addendum to the Second Compliance Report adopted by the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption on 22 November 2024, according to which Ukraine has implemented satisfactorily or dealt with in a satisfactory manner 18 out of 31 recommendations contained in the report; encourages Ukraine to fully implement the remaining recommendations, particularly by introducing a system for random allocation of cases to prosecutors, clarifying the definitions of disciplinary offences, and expanding the range of disciplinary sanctions to ensure proportionality and effectiveness, taking into account Ukraine’s specific circumstances;

37. Urges Ukraine to prioritise the strengthening of the rule of law, judicial reform and the fight against corruption, and calls for the EU and the Member States to intensify support for these efforts, as progress in these areas is critical not only for EU membership but also for successful reconstruction and economic trust; recommends the adoption of a robust whistleblower protection law in line with the EU acquis; notes that Ukraine’s current anti-corruption policy framework expires in 2025 and highlights the need for a renewed State Anti-Corruption Programme that reflects civil society input and sets ambitious goals, measurable criteria and clear timelines;

38. Calls on the Commission to include Ukraine in the EU rule-of-law toolbox to strengthen democratic reform implementation in advance of accession; encourages enhanced law enforcement capacity for financial investigations by developing methodological guidance and clarifying responsibilities, including better responses to criminal schemes such as the use of money mules;

39. Notes that Russia’s war of aggression places immense pressure on Ukraine’s judicial system, including as a result of the high volume of ‘collaboration’ cases; calls, in this regard, for careful application of the legislation on ‘collaboration’, safeguarding fundamental rights and judicial fairness, and encourages a unified prosecutorial approach based on legal clarity and factual rigour, crucial for the reintegration of liberated territories; encourages the Ukrainian authorities, in this respect, to prioritise prosecutions based on their gravity and relevance to state security, in line with the Fourth Geneva Convention; calls for improved transparency and public access to data on such prosecutions;

40. Urges Ukraine to regulate virtual assets by adopting comprehensive legislation, designating a supervisory authority, conducting a risk assessment, and supporting the detection of financial crimes involving virtual assets; welcomes, in this respect, the recent adoption by the Verkhovna Rada of draft law No. 11290 and urges the adoption of draft law No. 12207, which inter alia introduces European cybersecurity certification schemes and aims to align the Ukrainian legislation with EU standards;

Fundamental freedoms and human rights

41. Commends Ukraine’s commitment to upholding fundamental rights in the context of and despite the ongoing Russian war of aggression; underlines the essential role of civil society in the reform and EU accession processes; stresses the need to maintain a safe, enabling, and participatory environment for civil society organisations, including human rights defenders and activists; calls for the urgent update of the National Human Rights Strategy and for a comprehensive implementation plan; encourages meaningful civil dialogue across all areas of public and political life and urges continued political unity around Ukraine’s European path; encourages the alignment of legislation defining the mandate of the Ombudsman of Ukraine with the EU acquis;

43. Commends the courageous work of Ukrainian human rights defenders and journalists who document human rights violations in temporarily occupied regions; recognises Ukraine’s strategic position at the forefront of information warfare and welcomes its engagement in European initiatives such as the Democracy Shield and the Joint Security Commitments to counter foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI); acknowledges that Ukraine is a key partner of the EU in the fights against FIMI and urges the EU and its Member states to intensify the fight against Russian disinformation and hybrid threats; calls for digital literacy to be promoted, the Digital Services Act to be enforced on social media platforms, and the EU’s own strategic communications to be strengthened to counter Russian interference and to clearly publicise the EU’s substantial support for Ukraine;

44. Welcomes legislative initiatives to promote equality for LGBTQI+ persons and other marginalised groups, notably draft laws 5488 (hate crimes), 12252 (civil partnerships), and 9103 (registered partnerships); urges prompt adoption of these laws to ensure compliance with European Court of Human Rights standards; calls for the adoption of a new Anti-Discrimination Law covering sexual orientation, gender identity and disability, and for the further strengthening of Ukraine’s anti-discrimination legal framework;

45. Welcomes the July 2024 amendments to the Law on National Minorities introducing bilingual education pathways, and encourages the swift implementation of these reforms through adequate funding and teacher training; welcomes the creation of the Council of National Minorities and the adoption of the Action Plan for the Protection of the Rights of National Minorities until 2027, aimed at aligning legislation with European standards; calls for structured and substantive dialogue with minority communities and for the full implementation of Venice Commission recommendations;

46. Commends Ukraine’s ability to ensure educational continuity and reform, notably through digital tools, EU-supported programmes, and resilient public infrastructure development; encourages the Commission to expand support for Ukrainian students and institutions under Erasmus+, Horizon Europe and the EU4Youth programmes;

47. Welcomes Ukraine’s ratification of the Istanbul Convention and the establishment of survivor-support centres; encourages Ukraine to provide sustained funding for gender-based violence prevention and victim support, especially given the heightened risks during war; encourages Ukraine to improve the Law ‘On the Principles of Preventing and Combating Discrimination in Ukraine’ and the Criminal Code of Ukraine on hate crimes in accordance with international standards, and to introduce the necessary legislative changes to implement the Istanbul Convention;

48. Recognises the increased risks of human trafficking, especially for women and children, in conflict and post-conflict settings; calls on the Ukrainian authorities, with EU support, to strengthen detection mechanisms, and to collaborate with civil society to ensure the protection and rehabilitation of victims in line with the EU Anti-Trafficking Directive;

49. Supports enhanced EU assistance to Ukraine in the field of physical rehabilitation and prosthetic care, especially for injured soldiers, mine victims and amputees; stresses the importance of developing a national prosthetics and rehabilitation system with EU and Member State support; encourages partnerships with European medical institutions to enhance capacity, training and access to modern equipment;

50. Takes note of the adoption of the law that will allow the Orthodox parishes from Ukraine to disaffiliate from the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate and to decide freely on their new hierarchical affiliation; condemns the unlawful appropriation and removal of cultural heritage items from temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories by Russian forces; urges respect for religious and cultural heritage in temporarily occupied areas, including 485 already destroyed sites, places of worship and sacred sites; underlines the responsibility of all parties to protect cultural heritage in line with international conventions;

51. Calls on Ukraine to continue the approximation of labour standards, in particular as regards freedom of assembly and social dialogue, and encourages Ukraine to continue aligning its national labour and social legislation with EU standards, particularly in the areas of employment, social policy and equal opportunities; calls on the Commission to provide additional support to advance this progress; emphasises the need for broad consultations with trade unions and civil society and recommends that the expertise of the International Labour Organization on the matter be taken into account;

Regional cooperation and good neighbourly relations

52. Welcomes Ukraine’s active participation in regional initiatives, such as its leadership in the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum and the coordination of cross-border projects with EU Member States;

53. Welcomes the recent joint communication from the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy entitled ‘The European Union’s strategic approach to the Black Sea region’ and in particular the opportunities for Ukraine to contribute meaningfully within this framework; encourages Ukraine’s continued active participation in the Eastern Partnership and the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly as an ‘integration leader’ that champions European values and reforms across the region;