Funds from immobilised Russian assets are working for Ukraine
On 10 January, the European Union disbursed €3 billion to Ukraine’s state budget under the of the Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration (ERA) initiative. This money will be used for priority expenditures. This is the first tranche of funds from the European Union secured by income from immobilised Russian assets.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the receipt of the tranche on X (formerly Twitter): “Almost three years into Russia’s war of aggression, Ukraine can keep counting on its friends and partners,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. “We give Ukraine the financial power to continue fighting for its freedom – and prevail. Europe has provided nearly €134 billion of support to Ukraine so far. And more will come.”
New EU aid package for humanitarian projects in Ukraine
The European Union has announced a new aid package worth €148 million, which will be directed to humanitarian projects in Ukraine and for Ukrainian refugees in Moldova.
On 13 January, during her visit to Ukraine, Hadja Lahbib (European Commissioner for Preparedness, Crisis Management and Equality) announced €148 million in new funding to support vital humanitarian aid to the most vulnerable groups of Ukraine’s population and to communities hosting Ukrainian refugees in Moldova. The total amount of humanitarian aid allocated by the European Commission has now exceeded €1.1 billion.
Ukraine2EU – EU Integration Support Programme for Ukraine launched
EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarína Mathernová emphasised that this event “… marks the beginning of the next phase of our long-standing support for Ukraine’s EU Integration. Ukraine’s future lies within the EU, and this programme will serve as an umbrella for both EU and Member State assistance in helping Ukraine achieve this goal.”
The Ukraine2EU – EU Integration Support Programme for Ukraine will run from 2025 to 2027. It will support, among other things, civil society organizations (CSOs) that contribute to Ukraine’s EU accession.
UKRAINE–EU:
ACCESSION ALGORITHM
Overcoming corruption:
requirement of the EU, international partners, and Ukrainians
Ukraine awaits the European Commission’s screening report, but the key requirements remain the same: moving from simple solutions with temporary results to a systemic and effective anti-corruption policy. Currently, out of 1,147 measures envisaged in the Anti-Corruption Strategy and the State Anti-Corruption Programme for 2023–2025, only 349 have been fully or partially implemented.
How can this result be realistically improved, and how can a high-quality anti-corruption strategy and programme be prepared for 2026–2030 where the priority areas should be security and defence, infrastructure reconstruction, transport, taxes, customs, and energy? What do experts think? Read on to find out.
SECURITY SUPPORT
Information: A powerful weapon
“The European Parliament condemns the systematic falsification of history and the use of distorted historical arguments… by the Russian regime in its attempt to manipulate public opinion,” the resolution reads.
“This disinformation aims to support criminal acts, such as the illegal, aggressive war against Ukraine, to undermine international aid and assistance to Ukraine, and to erase its distinct cultural and historical identity.” The resolution, titled “Disinformation and falsification of history by Russia to justify its aggressive war against Ukraine,” was adopted on January 23 with 480 votes in favour, 58 against, and 48 abstentions.
Seven more border crossing points receive uninterruptible power supplies
Seven border crossing points in Ukraine have been equipped with uninterruptible power supplies. The EU4IBM-Resilience project involved not only installed the equipment but also trained and certified specialists. The European Union invested around €200,000 in the project.
This equipment will enable stationary X-ray scanners to operate during power shutdowns, preventing disruptions at busy border crossings. This will also contribute to security at Ukraine’s borders by strengthening the fight against smuggling and optimising trade flows.
ECONOMY, FINANCE, BUSINESS
Accelerating Ukraine’s movement towards the EU!
Ukrzaliznytsia has completed a project relocating the railway border control point to Mostyska II station near the Ukrainian- Polish border in Lviv Oblast. The project was co-financed by the Connecting Europe Facility and the European Investment Bank.
Relocating the border control point to Mostyska II station will double the capacity of this route. While previously only six freight trains could be inspected daily, this number can now reach 15. This means there are new opportunities to increase freight traffic and accelerate passenger trains.
A first: Third stage of Ukraine Recovery Programme focuses on community and regional strategies
A new stage of the Ukraine Recovery Programme, supported by the European Investment Bank (EIB), has launched.
For the first time in Ukraine’s history, a programme is being implemented that aligns projects with community and regional strategies and the national regional development strategy. The budget is over €100 million.
Projects will utilise the innovative DREAM platform, which automates project selection and monitoring, ensures transparency and efficiency in financial management, and allows for prompt assessment of implementation progress, fund usage, and targeted use.
Reconstruction despite the war
The EIB has provided €55 million in EU guarantee-backed funds under the Ukraine Recovery Programme to reconstruct hospitals, social housing, educational facilities, heating, water and waste systems, and other critical social infrastructure in 2025 and beyond.
The Bank said the funding could be used for any of the 151 sub-projects allocated under the programme across Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk, Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Poltava, Sumy, Kharkiv, Cherkasy, and Chernihiv oblasts. This contribution is part of the EIB’s Ukraine Solidarity Urgent Response package developed in close partnership with the European Commission, highlighting the European Union’s unwavering support for Ukraine’s recovery.
GOOD GOVERNANCE
Landfill to be transformed into green zone
The EIB has allocated €4.7 million in EU guarantee-backed funds for the second phase of the Hrybovychi landfill reclamation project in Lviv. The project aims to address long-standing environmental hazards, harmonise the waste management system with EU standards, and ultimately transform the landfill into a modern public space. This project is part of the EIB’s Ukraine Municipal Infrastructure Programme (UMIP) and is being implemented in cooperation with local and international partners.
EU supports renovation of another medical facility in Kyiv Oblast
Renovations to the emergency ward and upgrades to life support systems at the Nemishayeve hospital were carried out under the ‘Housing for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Rehabilitation of Liberated Cities in Ukraine’ programme.
This programme, supported by the European Union and managed by NEFCO (the Nordic Green Bank), provided funding to insulate the building, replace the roof and windows, install a 10 kW rooftop photovoltaic system with electricity storage, and add new lighting. The village is funding the interior work with its own resources, demonstrating positive cooperation between the EU and local communities.