It’s when times are tough that people can see who their true friends are and who was just hanging around. EU Institutions opted for the former.
On this day, they issued declarations reaffirming their unwavering support for the war-torn country, starting with the European Parliament. In a meeting held between them and Ukrainian parliamentarians, its President, Roberta Metsola addressed them as follow:
Ukraine’s rightful place is in the European family. Ukraine has proven with significant progress on reforms that they are ready for these accelerated accession talks to move further, and our Parliament’s response is equally clear: our Union must continue to move ahead with even more resolve and action.
In response, the speaker of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament), Ruslan Stefanchuk, thanked the EU for its leadership and support to Ukraine since February 2022. He pointed to Ukraine’s determined efforts to make progress on its European integration path, adding: “We are fully committed to the reform process”. His colleagues also asked the EU to continue to provide assistance, including through the confiscation of frozen Russian assets, and to ensure justice for Russian war crimes.
For its part, the European Commission issued a press release highlighting a series of steps to further bolster its support for Ukraine:
- Five new EU-Ukraine agreements were signed. These include three finance contracts worth €300 million between the European Investment Bank and Ukraine, supporting key operations that address Ukraine's most pressing recovery needs; an agreement on Ukraine's participation in the Copernicus component, as well as in the Space Weather Events and Near-Earth Object sub-components of the EU Space Programme; and agreement on the procurement of medical countermeasures against serious cross-border health threats.
- €3.1 billion in additional support, including €1 Bn under G7 loan, to be repaid with proceeds from immobilised Russian State assets in the EU, and €2.1 Bn from revenue generated from immobilised assets of the Russian Central Bank. They will aim to help Ukraine sustain military and reconstruction efforts, including the repair of critical infrastructure like energy, water, and transport systems, and to help strengthen Ukraine's defence capabilities.
- The tenth meeting of the EU-Ukraine Association Council to be hosted in Brussels, exchanging views on the situation following Russia's war of aggression, focusing on the military, economic and humanitarian situation on the ground and the response to Russia's war, as well as touching on wider global and regional issues
Finally, in a joint effort, the European Council under the Polish Presidency, the European Commission and the Ukrainian government will co-host a EU-Ukraine Business Summit aiming to support Ukraine’s reconstruction and reform efforts, with over 700 stakeholders attending to discuss ways to strengthen the country’s business climate and unlock investment.
On this occasion, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal will also launch a new EU-Ukraine Business Partnership. This initiative seeks to deepen economic ties between the EU and Ukraine, accelerating the country’s recovery and supporting its path to EU accession and integration into the EU Single Market, in line with the European Parliament’s declaration.
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