To the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine
To the Prime Minister of Ukraine
To the Members of Parliament of Ukraine
Dear Ruslan Oleksiyovych!
Dear Yuliia Anatoliivna!
Dear Members of Parliament of Ukraine and Members of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine!
Think tanks specializing in economic policy present their compliments to you and appeal to you with a call to ensure the creation of an effective body for combating offenses that infringe on the functioning of the state’s economy – the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine (ESB).
The appointment of a new head of the ESB, who was selected based on the results of a transparent competition, is an important step towards rebooting the body, yet it is not the completion of the reform. The next stage should be the creation of an institutionally capable Bureau that will have sufficient powers, resources, and guarantees for effectively combating economic crimes and the shadow economy.
The corresponding requirements are enshrined in Ukraine’s international obligations, in particular, within the framework of the European integration process, the Rule of Law Roadmap, the Comprehensive Plan for Reforming Law Enforcement Agencies for 2024–2027, as well as in the Ukraine Facility program.
The European Commission, in the Ukraine Report within the EU Enlargement Package, emphasizes the need for further reform of the ESB through the re-attestation of personnel, providing the body with adequate financial, human, and technical resources, as well as guaranteeing its institutional independence by designating the Bureau as a central executive body with a special status.
In the Law of Ukraine “On the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine,” to provide for mandatory assessment of the efficiency and effectiveness of the ESB’s activities by defining its key performance indicators, as well as mandatory periodic reporting on the body’s official website about the results of its activities based on the defined indicators.
We also call to establish control over the mandatory registration of business complaints and statements regarding unlawful actions by ESB officials, which should result in the automatic initiation of disciplinary proceedings against such persons. Moreover, every complainant must receive a copy of the state body’s decision upon the conclusion of such disciplinary proceedings in order to be able to appeal this decision in court.
Currently, the remuneration of ESB detectives is approximately 2 times lower than in NABU or other anti-corruption bodies due to the application of an underestimated base coefficient (UAH 2,102 vs. UAH 3,328). Due to a lack of funding, the Bureau is staffed at only 28%: out of the required 4,000 employees, about 1,145 are working, and in 2025 the body lost about 150 more employees. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the base salary coefficient to UAH 3,328 (by making appropriate amendments to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine Resolution No. 1068 dated 06.10.2021) and thereby equalize the ESB remuneration system with other law enforcement agencies.
In addition, it is necessary to ensure other equal financial conditions for ESB employees with SBI and NABU employees, ensure equal social guarantees, and strengthen the guarantees of the body’s (ESB) independence.
It is precisely such changes that should ensure the real capacity of the ESB to fulfill its key function — combating economic crimes, protecting legal business, and de-shadowing the economy.
We call on the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and Members of Parliament to ensure a full-fledged institutional reboot of the ESB, grant the body the necessary special status and appropriate powers, and provide relevant financial and technical resources.
We hope for the responsibility of the authorities and their readiness to make decisions that strengthen trust in state institutions, support honest business, and will contribute to the economic resilience of Ukraine.
Sincerely,
Think tanks:
Center for Social and Economic Research – CASE Ukraine
Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting
Institute of Social and Economic Transformation
Centre for Economic Strategy
Ukrainian Institute for Legal Policy
National Interests Advocacy Network “ANTS”
Growford Institute
Centre of Public Expertise
Institute of Tax Reforms
Tax Advisers Association
Advanter Group Think Tank
Chief Economist Office of the Coalition of Business Communities for the Modernization of Ukraine
Tax Group of the Economic Expert Platform
Institute of Finance and Law
“Technologies of Progress” Think Tank
