Commission pays a further €1.5 billion in assistance to Ukraine

Today, the Commission has paid €1.5 billion under the Macro-financial Assistance + package for Ukraine worth up to €18 billion. With this instrument, the EU seeks to help Ukraine cover its immediate funding needs, with stable, predictable and sizeable financial support in 2023. With today’s payment, Ukraine has so far received €16.5 billion this year under Macro-financial Assistance+.

This support will help Ukraine to continue paying wages and pensions, and keep essential public services running, such as hospitals, schools, and housing for relocated people. It will also allow Ukraine to ensure macroeconomic stability and restore critical infrastructure destroyed by Russia in its war of aggression, such as energy infrastructure, water systems, transport networks, roads and bridges.

Today’s payment comes after the Commission found on 18 October that Ukraine continued to make satisfactory progress towards implementing the agreed policy conditions and complied with reporting requirements, which aim to ensure the transparent and efficient use of the funds. Ukraine has notably achieved important progress to enhance financial stability with the phasing out of temporary emergency taxation, as well as to strengthen the rule of law with, for instance, the restoration of the functioning of the High Council of Justice and High Qualification Council of Judges. Ukraine has also made significant advances towards improving its energy system with the restructuring of the Gas Transmission System Operator,and towards promoting a better business climate.

President Ursula von der Leyen said:

Today’s payment of €1.5 billion brings our total macro-financial assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the year to €16.5 billion. Amidst Russia’s war of aggression, this financial aid by Europe has proven instrumental for Ukraine’s economic stability and for the continuity of its essential public services. Our overall support to Ukraine currently amounts to almost €85 billion, military equipment included. And we will continue standing by Ukraine, with our proposed further €50 billion in support for the following years, until 2027.

Overall, since the start of the war, EU support to Ukraine and Ukrainians amounts to almost €85 billion. This includes financial, humanitarian, emergency budget and military support to Ukraine from the EU, Member States and the European financial institutions, as well as resources made available to help Member States cater for needs of Ukrainians fleeing the war. More information is available in this factsheet.

On 20 June, the Commission proposed to set up a dedicated Facility providing coherent, predictable and flexible support to Ukraine for the period 2024-2027, for an overall amount of up to €50 billion.