Peace in Ukraine must be guaranteed by international law
In her speech at the World Peace and Liberty Award ceremony, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized: «No one wants peace more than the people of Ukraine. But lasting peace can only be built upon the foundation of international law. An independent Ukraine, within its recognised international borders, where accountability for war crimes has been met, and with security guarantees, so that Ukrainians can be free from fear»
The EU and Ukraine will meet challenges together
Support for irreversible reforms
LAW AND ORDER
International Day in Support of Victims of Torture: Statement by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell
Torture is one of the most serious crimes a human being can commit. On 26 June 1997, the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Since the first days of the full-scale Russian invasion, ensuring its effective functioning has become a matter of urgency.
The EU is stepping up its efforts to prevent torture and punish those responsible.
The International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Russia’s Aggression against Ukraine has been launched
By consistently implementing its intentions and plans, the EU has demonstrated its determination to ensure full accountability for international crimes committed during Russia’s war against Ukraine. This is, in particular, a crime of aggression committed by the highest political and military leadership of the Russian Federation. The work of the Centre sends a clear message to the world: the prohibition of the use of force is the bedrock of a civilised, rules-based international order, and violators will be brought to justice.
MILITARY ASSISTANCE AND SECURITY
The Peace Facility budget increased by €3.5 billion
The Council of the European Union has agreed to increase the budget of the European Peace Facility, which provides military assistance to Ukraine, among other things, from €7.9 billion to more than €12 billion. This is the second increase in funding for the European Peace Facility since its establishment. Over the past two years, the Peace Facility has proven its effectiveness, partners have seen the reliability and sustainability of EU support, and the European Union itself has grown stronger.
EU and Ukraine strengthen medical evacuation system
On 22 June, the WHO Regional Office for Europe launched an 18-month project, «Strengthening the accountability system of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine for medical evacuation and repatriation systems and services», funded by the European Union’s Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI). The project will support the Ministry of Health of Ukraine in further developing and formalising the procedures of the Special Coordination Unit for Medical Evacuation.
UKRAINE-EU:
ACCESSION ALGORITHM
Ursula von der Leyen:
We must now imagine what the EU should be like when Ukraine, Moldova and the Western Balkans become part of it
As the world undergoes global change, powerful international alliances are reviewing their current ways of operating to continue responding effectively to challenges and seize new opportunities. The European Union is also considering long-term development strategies, including expanding and integrating new member states.
Conclusions to be drawn in October: how Ukraine is doing its «homework»
The European Commission has assessed Ukraine’s compliance with the criteria for opening EU accession negotiations: two of the seven criteria have been fully met, and progress has been made on the other five. This was an interim report. In October, it will be seen whether Kyiv has completed its «homework» set a year ago.
Our European partners stress the need for irreversible judiciary reform and the fight against corruption. Read the article to learn what has been done in the justice sector over the past year.
The Ukraine Facility: transformations, territories, people
On 20 June 2023, the European Union (EU) announced the creation of a new instrument – the Ukraine Facility, a legislative act to assist Ukraine in its recovery and implementation of measures necessary for EU membership. The financial support for the Instrument is €50 billion until 2027. How can we ensure that every citizen in every region feels the result?
ECONOMY AND FINANCE
Dealing with the aftermath of the terrorist attack on the Kakhovka Hydropower Plant
The destruction of the Kakhovka HPP dam has caused floodwaters to overflow from the world’s largest reservoir, sweeping away villages, destroying farmland and exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation in southern Ukraine, leaving many communities without access to water, electricity and shelter. In addition to the assistance already provided by the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism and humanitarian partners, the EU has sent 500 power generators worth €16 million to Ukraine.
Ukraine joins the Connecting Europe Facility
Ukraine has become the first non-EU member state to join the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). Under the Associated Participation Agreement, Ukraine will receive €33 billion for infrastructure development, allowing Ukrainian institutions to apply for EU funding for projects of common interest in the transport, energy and digital sectors.
Ukraine implements EU approach to classification of goods
The CMU Resolution «On Amendments to the Procedure for Maintaining the Ukrainian Classification of Goods for Foreign Economic Activity» implements EU approaches to classifying goods into Ukrainian legislation, which will facilitate the uniform application of common EU rules by all customs authorities.
Borders without unnecessary obstacles
A pilot project to test the emergency warning system has been completed at the Orlivka-Isaccea, Porubne-Siret, Krasnoyilsk-Vicovu de Sus and Dyakove- Halmeu checkpoints on the Ukrainian- Romanian state border.
It helped to improve the work of the EU and Ukrainian customs services. As a reminder, 4,474,000 transit declarations have been made since 1 October 2002, when the provisions of the Convention on a common transit procedure (NCTS) entered into force.
Roaming for Ukraine: operators extend agreement on low-cost calls to and from Ukraine for another year
On 9 July, the European Commission extended free roaming for Ukrainians. Twenty-two European and seven Ukrainian operators have joined the agreement in 2022. The Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) says the agreement has proved effective in allowing operators to offer affordable calls across borders.
At the same time, the European Commission is preparing to include Ukraine in the EU roaming area, but this will require Ukraine to fully harmonise its legislation with EU law.
CULTURE, EDUCATION, SCIENCE
Young anti-corruption activists trained in Yablunytsia
The European Union and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine and national partners organised an anti-corruption camp in the village of Yablunytsia, Ivano-Frankivsk region. The five-day event brought together 40 law students from different universities, including those who had fled the areas of active hostilities.
The EU is working with UNDP and local civil society organisations to support Ukraine’s reform and development.
Modern school: computer science course adapts to new realities
The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, with the support of the EU under the EU4DigitalUA programme, presented the results of the pilot project «Updated Informatics – IT Studios». Artificial intelligence, cloud technologies, big data and robotics are no longer a virtual reality, so it was decided to rethink and update the content of school computer science. The pilot, which started in September 2022, involved 73 teachers and more than 3,000 students from 50 schools.
The European Union supports the cultural front of Ukraine
The Cultural Mosaic Art Open-Air event, held at the Lavra Gallery in Kyiv on 8 July, was the key and final event of the «Together, We Create. Together, We Preserve» campaign, which informed Ukrainians about the EU’s support for Ukrainian culture during the full-scale war with Russia. Since February 2022, the EU has provided more than €15 million to help secure, evacuate and preserve museum collections and accelerate the digitisation of exhibits and architectural monuments at risk of destruction or theft due to the large-scale Russian war.