Brussels Demands Rule of Law While Sinking Into Corruption Scandals

While EU institutions routinely call member states to account over rule-of-law norms, cases raising the suspicion of corruption keep surfacing in their own operations. Zoltan Lomnici Jr., Scientific Director at the Szazadveg Public Knowledge Foundation, told Magyar Nemzet that the financial and political wartime networks formed around the EU and Ukraine are built on reciprocal interests that come at the expense of transparency and accountability.

Volodymyr Zelensky, Ursula von der Leyen, and Antonio Costa in Brussels (Photo: AFP/Nicolas Tucat)

Zoltan Lomnici pointed to the growing contradiction between the rule-of-law demands issued from Brussels and the EU’s own internal conduct."The contradiction between Brussels’ rule-of-law expectations and the corruption scandals emerging within its own institutions stems primarily from the fact that oversight and responsibility mechanisms applying to EU bodies are far weaker than the level of strictness they demand from member states," he told Magyar Nemzet.

 According to constitutional lawyer Zoltan Lomnici Jr., there are structural similarities between  Brussels' and Kyiv's wartime networks (Photo: MTI/Szigetvary Zsolt)

He noted that while Article 2 of the EU Treaties enshrines the rule of law as a core value, and Article 7 allows these requirements to be enforced against member states, these same standards do not apply to the EU institutions themselves, creating a double standard.

The expert recalled that

the Katargate, Pfizergate, and the Mogherini–Sannino case cases all show that the EU institutions fail to meet even basic transparency requirements in their own remit.

He also cited the May 14, 2025 ruling of the European Court of Justice, saying that the court annulled the Commission’s decision that denied access to text messages exchanged between the Commission President and the CEO of Pfizer, on the grounds of violating document-retention obligations and the principle of good administration.

Zoltan Lomnici Jr. argues that this clearly demonstrates that

the credibility of the EU’s proclaimed rule-of-law norms is weakening, and even the political consistency of the EU’s actions is increasingly called into question.

Structural Similarities Between Brussels’ and Kyiv’s Wartime Networks

In response to a question, the expert explained that several points of connection can be identified between the wartime networks in Brussels and Kyiv, mainly because both sides have seen the emergence of rapid, uncontrolled financial flows due to the war.

He argued that corruption cases in Ukraine investigated by NABU, including the high-profile Operation Midas, also show that organized corruption networks remain active around wartime financing.

The scientific director at Szazadveg Foundation emphasized that OLAF investigations uncovered severe irregularities in several EU procurement programs intended for Ukraine: overpricing, lack of competition, and the granting of unjustified advantages.

He highlighted that, according to a 2023 procedure, some contractors charged as much as forty percent above market value, while the implementing body failed to provide adequate financial guarantees, violating the EU’s rules intended to protect its financial interests.

Lomnici Jr. believes these processes create fertile ground for the operation of cross-border corruption networks.

Mutual Political Interests May Link Zelensky and Von der Leyen

The expert also noted the possibility that the political interests of Brussels and Kyiv align in certain matters. He pointed out that

mutual political benefits in such a situation can objectively weaken oversight mechanisms, creating the conditions for the operation of organized, cross-border corruption networks.

He added that, for the EU, supporting Ukraine is a geopolitical project, whereas for President Zelensky, Brussels’ funding and political alliances are tools for maintaining internal stability. This situation, he argued, can blur the lines that should separate political loyalty from transparency requirements.

Accelerated Accession Process Despite Collapsing Rule of Law in Ukraine

Zoltan Lomnici Jr. also reviewed the state of the rule of law in Ukraine, highlighting:

• Ukraine ranks 105th on Transparency International’s index,
• it holds a 0.48 score, ranking 90th on the Rule of Law Index.

According to the European Commission’s 2025 country report, the judiciary suffers from chronic shortages of human, financial, and technical resources, with 2,198 vacant judicial positions. The prosecutor general’s office is politically influenced, and several major corruption cases have concluded without consequences.

The expert recalled the resignation of both the energy minister and the justice minister over a 100-million-dollar corruption scheme, as well as the case of Vsevolod Knyazev, President of the Supreme Court, who accepted 2.7 million dollars in bribes, was released on bail, and only later suspended.

Given all this, he argued, it is no surprise that a political decision was made to accelerate Ukraine’s EU accession despite the corruption. 

"One hand washes the other, as the saying goes," he remarked.

According to Zoltan Lomnici Jr., the EPP, including the Tisza Party, supports Ukraine’s rapid accession while refusing to acknowledge the major corruption scandals erupting inside the country.

Cover photo: Given the circumstances, it is no surprise that a political decision was made to accelerate Ukraine’s EU accession despite corruption, the expert points out (Photo: AFP)