The world reels at the aggressor’s inhuman crimes
The EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said he was “deeply shocked” by a video showing the brutal execution of a Ukrainian prisoner of war. European Commission spokesperson Nabila Massrali stresses that the EU reaffirms its commitment to bringing all perpetrators and accomplices of war crimes to justice: “If confirmed, this is another brutal reminder of the inhuman nature of Russian aggression.”
European Peace Facility budget increased by EU Council
The Council of the EU has decided to increase the funding of the European Peace Facility (EPF) to €7.97 billion until 2027, to ensure that additional funding needs can be met.
The EPF, set up in 2021 to preserve peace and strengthen international security, has been active since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and the EU has increased its budget several times. Since then, the Ukrainian armed forces have received 7 assistance packages, and the total EU contribution to Ukraine under the EPF currently stands at €3.6 billion.
There will be ammunition: EU pools efforts and resources
On 13 April, the Council of the EU decided to allocate €1 billion from the EPF to speed up the delivery of essential ammunition to Ukraine, and to reimburse Member States for artillery shells transferred by the end of May.
To recap, on 23 March EU leaders agreed to provide Ukraine with 1 million artillery shells over the next 12 months. This first tranche of €1 billion will allow Ukraine to receive existing ammunition as soon as possible, followed by a joint procurement of a further €1 billion.
ECONOMY AND FINANCE
EU provides a further €1.5 billion in macro-financial assistance to Ukraine
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced that the EU has disbursed a further €1.5 billion in macro- financial assistance to Ukraine. This is the second tranche of the €18 billion EU macro-financial assistance agreed in December 2022.
“Our support is helping Ukraine to function while protecting itself,” President von der Leyen wrote on Twitter, “and to move forward on its path to the EU by supporting reforms such as good governance and financial stability”.
EIB endorses EU initiative for reconstruction and recovery in Ukraine
The European Investment Bank’s (EIB) Board of Directors has approved an EU initiative to finance reconstruction and recovery in Ukraine. This temporary arrangement will allow the EIB to continue its work in the country until the expected medium-term EU support is in place. As part of the initiative, the EIB will establish an EU for Ukraine Fund, which will, among other things, allow for increased EIB lending for both public and private sector investments.
The EIB has also agreed to lend €1.8 billion for sustainable transport, corporate innovation, clean energy, climate change, and digitalisation, both in Europe and globally.
The EU works with ‘Russian assets’ – can Ukraine get them?
It is not easy to find assets linked to Russians who support Putin and the war. It is even harder to quickly find a legally-sound solution that would allow these funds to be transferred to Ukraine as compensation for the damage caused by the war. After more than 400 days of Russia’s full-scale invasion, such transfers have made little progress. So what is the current situation, and what are the prospects for this work?
UKRAINE-EU: THE ACCESSION ALGORITHM
Ukraine does its ‘homework’
Despite the war, Ukraine is working to achieve ambitious peaceful goals, and one of the most important is to complete its ‘homework’ for EU accession.
The criteria and requirements are well known to Ukraine. Some progress has been made, but this needs to be accelerated, and without compromise. Ukraine cannot become an EU Member and continue to live by its own rules. Most Ukrainians support the EU’s requirements, as they are in with their own aspirations.
Critical points of the European Commission’s report
The European Commission’s February report on Ukraine’s readiness to join the EU contains an analysis and assessment of 31 parameters that determine the country’s progress towards the EU. They are all of equal importance to the EU, be it security, public procurement, or regional policy. Ukraine, which is well aware of the cost of gaps in its regional policy, scored only 2 out of 5 points on this criterion. Why did this happen, and what should be done?
Ukraine moves closer to a digital visa-free regime with the EU
The Diia app has launched a beta test of the Diia.Signature-EU service, which complies with the EU’s eIDAS Regulation. From now on, EU countries will be able to verify the authenticity of signatures made in Ukraine. After updating the Diia app to the latest version, two signature options will be automatically created, according to the Ukrainian standard (DSTU) and the international standard (ECDSA).
European hospitals have received hundreds of patients from Ukraine since the beginning of the war
More than 2,000 Ukrainian patients have received specialised medical care in 20 European countries through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM). The EU’s medical evacuation centre in Rzeszów has been instrumental in helping patients – they arrive by road from Ukraine, and are then transported to hospitals across Europe.
ENERGY FRONT AND THE EUROPEAN GREEN COURSE
Ukraine Energy Support Fund to finance the reconstruction of a gas compressor station
A €2 million grant from the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, provided through the Ukraine Energy Support Fund and established with the support of the Energy Community Secretariat, in cooperation with the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine, will be used to reconstruct a critical gas infrastructure facility.
In March, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Energy Community Secretariat, co-chaired by the European Commission, to strengthen cooperation in the reconstruction of Ukraine’s energy sector.
GOOD GOVERNANCE
Thermal upgrading of primary schools in Ternopil
Despite the war in Ukraine, a €400 million multi-sector investment programme, the Ukraine Municipal Infrastructure Development Programme (UMIP), is being implemented with the support of European partners. According to Jean-Erik de Zagon, Head of the EIB Representation to Ukraine, “energy efficiency is more important than ever, and this project is not only about comfort, but above all, quality re-equipment of municipal facilities”.
Agrarian service set up in Sumy region
A service is being set up in the Znob- Novhorodska Community (Sumy Oblast) to help residents cultivate land and improve their food self-sufficiency in order to minimise the impact of the war. The project has a budget of over €35,000 and is being implemented by NGO Organic Ukraine North and the municipal enterprise Znoba-Blahoustriy, with support from the U-LEAD programme.
EU-funded housing for displaced people in Chernivtsi
The war has displaced thousands of Ukrainians and forced millions to flee the war, leaving their homes and moving to safer regions of the country. They all require decent living conditions, and the EU Resilient Regions – Special Assistance Programme for Ukraine, co-funded by the EU and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), is providing Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) with this chance. Another modular town has been designed by renowned architect Slava Balbek and constructed in Chernivtsi.
SCIENCE, CULTURE, EDUCATION
EU grants for projects by NGOs Other Education and the Izolyatsia Foundation
The results of a special call for proposals under the EU’s 2022 Creative Europe programme to support Ukrainian IDPs and the cultural and creative industries in Ukraine have been announced. The selected projects aim to prepare for the post-war reconstruction of the Ukrainian cultural sector, and help Ukrainian artists and cultural organisations create and present their work in Ukraine and Creative Europe countries. The total budget for the call is €5 million.
EU supports Ukrainian film and TV artists
The Ukrainian Film Academy and the EU-funded House of Europe programme have continued their cooperation with Netflix to support the Ukrainian filmmaking and TV industry.
Last year, 100 professionals received scholarships, more than 400 artists gained access to online training, and 48 creative teams received grants for script development and online sessions with international industry experts. Many projects were showcased at film festivals, including the Berlinale, Gothenburg and WATCH DOCS International Film Festivals.