Zelensky's office head calls for reforming judicial system, SBU, key ministries, agencies

MOSCOW. July 8 (Interfax) - A judicial reform remains one of the necessary ones for Ukraine's accession to the European Union, Ukrainian presidential office head Andriy Yermak said.

"A judicial reform, the mechanism of selecting judges and holding them responsible, is needed," Ukrainian media outlets said, quoting Yermak as saying at the Forbes-Ukraine conference on Friday.

He also named a reform of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) among those necessary. "We must also continue implementing the plan of deoligarchization of Ukraine in order to eliminate the influence of oligarchs on political decision-making," he said. He also emphasized the need to strengthen the antimonopoly legislation considerably.

Yermak also announced a reform of key ministries and agencies. "The state should become more concise and efficient," he said.

"The security standards, the rule of law, and the value of human life" remain the authorities' main priorities, he said.

"The accession to the EU will help us building a Ukraine we could be proud of," Yermak said, adding that "it must happen as soon as possible."

He also said he considers developing the practice of creating industrial parks and special conditions for IT companies a necessity.

Yermak called on businessmen to "actively make proposals and cooperate with the government and the presidential office." "The government, along with experts, should create a national plan for joining the EU. The plan should be as realistic as possible," he said.