The Ukrainian National Lobbyists Association initiated the creation of APEX Ukraine – the first cross-sectoral business council on compliance and integrity

On April 15, 2026, Kyiv hosted a public discussion “Abolition of lifetime PEPs: a step towards renewal of the civil service” organized by the National Association of Lobbyists of Ukraine.

Oleksiy SHEVCHUK, Chairman of the Board of the Ukrainian National Lobbyists Association, emphasized the relevance of the topic in his speech. According to him, there are manipulations in the information field regarding the need to make the status of politically exposed persons (PEPs) lifelong. This applies not only to MPs, but also to officials, heads of political parties, members of bank boards and their family members.

“The issue of lifetime PEPs has become a punitive mechanism in our country,” said Oleksiy Shevchuk. – “Many successful businessmen, who are ready to devote 4-5 years to serving the state, refuse to take public office because they are afraid of lifelong financial monitoring for themselves and their families. This contradicts the principle of proportionality and does not meet the requirements of the European Union.”

Mr. Oleksiy emphasized that in Ukrainian law, the PEP status is retained for life after completion of public functions, while in the EU and most developed countries it is valid only for 12 months with further review.

The main initiative announced by Oleksiy Shevchuk was the creation of APEX Ukraine: Compliance & Integrity Council, Ukraine’s first cross-sectoral expert business council.

This Council will bring together compliance officers, anti-money laundering (AML) specialists, anti-fraud specialists, anti-corruption commissioners and other specialized experts from various business associations. Its key task is to provide independent expert opinions on the real risks for specific PEPs after the 12-month period.

“Any PEP can apply to the APEX Council. A group of independent experts will analyze the situation and provide a comprehensive opinion on whether the person poses financial risks to banks and primary financial monitoring entities. This is a voluntary but powerful tool of public control that will help restore trust, remove artificial barriers and attract quality professionals to the civil service,” explained Oleksiy Shevchuk.

Following the discussion, the participants adopted a resolution. In particular, it initiated the creation of APEX Ukraine: Compliance & Integrity Council, proposed to appeal to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the Office of the President with a proposal to cancel the lifetime application of PEP status, and recommended joint development of a unified methodology for PEP risk assessment after a 12-month period.

The Association of Taxpayers of Ukraine was appointed as the depositary of the discussion resolution. Participants will also address the Cabinet of Ministers, the Verkhovna Rada and the President’s Office with a proposal to cancel the lifetime status of PEPs and introduce a risk-based approach that meets international FATF and MONEYVAL standards.

The discussion was attended by Serhiy PROKHOROV, First Vice President of the ULIE, Eduard GOLODNITSKY, President of the International Association of Advisors, Vyacheslav NEKRASOV, Vice President of the Taxpayers Association of Ukraine, Ivan FURSENKO, Vice President of the Congress of Self-Government of Ukraine, and Oleksandr FEDIENKO, Member of Parliament of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian National Lobbyists Association continues to actively promote reforms aimed at creating a transparent, proportional and European regulatory environment in Ukraine.