Results of EU assistance to Ukraine "fragile"

Results of the European Union's assistance to Ukraine so far are "fragile", a new report from European Court of Auditors revealed on Wednesday.

The auditors assessed whether European Commission and European External Action Service assistance was effective in supporting the reforms in Ukraine.

After examining the areas of public finance management and the fight against corruption, as well as the gas sector, between 2007 and 2015, the auditors concluded that EU assistance to Ukraine had limited impact and, despite the impetus for reform since then, the results achieved so far remained fragile.

According the report, over most of the period audited, the unstable political, legislative and administrative context limited the effectiveness of EU assistance.

"There was a strong political commitment to public administration reform.,"said Szabolcs Fazakas, member of the European Court of Auditors responsible for the report.

"But management changes jeopardized the reforms and low salaries created openings for corruption. Further steps are needed to meet objectives," Fazakas said.

From 2007 to 2015, EU financial assistance to Ukraine comprised 1.6 billion euros (1.7 billion U.S. dollars) in grants and 3.4 billion euros in macro-financial loans.