Fund negotiations with EU member states can begin as soon as the EU Council agrees on a common position.
The European Parliament supported the European Commission’s initiative to create a Ukraine Assistance Fund worth 50 billion euros over the next four years. This was stated in a statement from the EP press service on Tuesday, October 17.
512 MEPs voted for the proposal, another 45 voted against and 63 abstained.
It is indicated that negotiations on the fund with EU member states can begin as soon as the Council of the EU agrees on a common position.
We are talking about the new instrument of the Ukraine Facility, which includes 50 billion euros for 2024-2027 in the form of grants and loans to support the reconstruction, restoration and modernization of Ukraine. This is exactly the proposal made by the European Commission in June 2023.
One of the main demands of the European deputies is the use of frozen Russian assets to restore Ukraine. These are also safeguards against corruption, fraud and other violations of the use of European funds in Ukraine. Among other things, the representatives emphasized that companies with oligarchic influence should not receive funding.
During the committee’s review, some changes were made to the draft to increase transparency. In particular, this involves the creation of a separate website about the funds allocated to Ukraine for specific purposes, and the steps taken by Ukraine, for its part, to receive aid. MEPs want contributions from third countries and international institutions to be published as well.
Let’s recall that on October 3, the European Parliament approved a revision of the EU budget for 2021-2027, which contains a provision for the creation of a special Ukrainian fund of 50 billion euros.
As reported, the European Union has given Ukraine €81 billion in various aid since the start of Russia’s all-out invasion. By 2023, EU financial aid for Ukraine alone will have reached 13.5 billion euros.
Source: korrespondent
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