---
title: "Verkhovna Rada Adopts Law on Combating Bribery of Foreign Officials: What It Means for Ukraine's OECD Accession"
description: "The Verkhovna Rada has adopted a law on combating the bribery of foreign officials, harmonizing legislation with the OECD Convention. This step brings Ukraine closer to EU standards and paves the way for OECD membership."
date: 2026-11-10T09:42:14.714Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/verkhovna-rada-adopts-law-bribery-foreign-officials
tags: [ukraine, oecd, corruption, european-union, anti-corruption-law, verkhovna-rada]
author: "Alexander Buran"
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Verkhovna Rada Adopts Law on Combating Bribery of Foreign Officials: What It Means for Ukraine's OECD Accession

![A lawmaker presses a voting button on a desk panel in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine against the backdrop of Ukrainian and EU flags](https://xab.info/media/2026/11/10/rada-prinyala-zakon-o-borbe-s-podkupom-inostrannykh-dolzhnostnykh-lits/rada-prinyala-zakon-o-borbe-s-podkupom-inostrannykh-dolzhnostnykh-lits-1.webp)

## Key Points

- The Verkhovna Rada adopted a law on combating the bribery of foreign officials, aligning its norms with the OECD Convention.
- Accession to the Convention opens up opportunities for international cooperation in investigating corruption crimes.
- On October 23, 2025, the OECD Working Group officially invited Ukraine to join the document; the OECD membership application was submitted in 2022.

The Verkhovna Rada has adopted a law aimed at combating the bribery of foreign public officials in international business transactions. According to RBC-Ukraine, citing a statement from parliament, the adopted document brings Ukrainian legislation closer to the standards of the European Union and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). This initiative has become one of the key steps in preparing the country for integration into European and transatlantic institutional formats.

### What Specifically the New Law Harmonizes

The adopted document aligns the norms of current Ukrainian legislation with the provisions of the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions. In essence, the law synchronizes national anti-corruption rules with the international instrument, eliminating discrepancies between domestic norms and the obligations Ukraine assumes within the framework of cooperation with the OECD and the EU.

### New Opportunities for Investigating Corruption Crimes

Accession to the Convention opens up new opportunities for international cooperation in investigating corruption crimes for Ukraine. This means closer coordination with law enforcement and investigative agencies of member countries, information sharing, and joint mechanisms for prosecuting individuals involved in cross-border bribery, which strengthens the state's overall anti-corruption policy framework.

### The Path to OECD Membership: From the 2022 Application to the Working Group Invitation

Recall that back in 2022, the Ukrainian government submitted an application for OECD membership. The main condition for this is accession to the Convention and participation in the OECD Working Group on Bribery in International Business Transactions. On October 23, 2025, the OECD Working Group officially invited Ukraine to join this document, making the domestic adoption of the corresponding law a logical next step on this path.

### Broader Context: Other Anti-Corruption Initiatives

The adoption of the law on combating the bribery of foreign officials fits into a broader package of measures related to asset declaration and anti-corruption control. In particular, earlier Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy submitted a bill to the Verkhovna Rada on the restoration of mandatory asset declaration for SBU employees. The combination of such initiatives forms the institutional foundation upon which Ukraine builds its compliance with EU and OECD criteria.

## Fact-Check & Sources

- [Рада унифицировала законодательство для борьбы с международным взяточничеством](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/rada-unifikuvala-zakonodavstvo-borotbi-mizhnarodnim-1794303255.html) - Primary source: confirms the adoption of the law, harmonization with the OECD Convention, the 2022 membership application, the OECD Working Group invitation dated 23.10.2025, and the bill on asset declarations for the SBU.

## FAQ

### What did parliament adopt?

The Verkhovna Rada adopted a law on combating the bribery of foreign officials, which harmonizes current legislation with the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions.

### How is this related to the OECD?

Accession to the Convention and participation in the OECD Working Group on Bribery is the main condition for OECD membership. Ukraine's application was submitted in 2022, and on October 23, 2025, the Working Group officially invited the country to join the document.

### What practical consequences does the law bring?

Accession to the Convention opens new opportunities for international cooperation in investigating corruption crimes and brings Ukraine closer to EU and OECD standards.