Ukraine remains a priority
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in her address to the European Parliament during the presentation of Hungary’s presidency programme for the Council of the European Union, outlined the key priorities for the European Union during Budapest’s presidency. In particular, she highlighted continued support for Ukraine, as well as a focus on competitiveness and migration. She emphasised that Russia is attempting to make the third winter of the war the hardest for Ukraine by continuing to shell energy infrastructure and targeting civilians. President Von der Leyen called for continued political, financial and military support for Ukraine.
EU enlargement report:
Ukraine continues reforms, EU support remains unwavering
At a joint press conference with EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi on the new EU enlargement report, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said: “Ukraine continues to advance key reforms despite the brutal war of aggression. Ukrainians are fighting two battles simultaneously: one on the battlefield, a real war, and the other trying to advance the reforms necessary to become a member of the European Union. And we will support Ukraine on both fronts, in all dimensions, and in line with our security commitment signed in June.”
“The burden of rebuilding Ukraine will fall on the shoulders of those respon- sible for its destruction, namely Russia”
The European Parliament supported the European Commission’s proposal to provide Ukraine with an exceptional loan of up to EUR 35 billion. This loan will contribute to the Group of Seven (G7) initiative to support Ukraine’s reconstruction. It will be repaid with future revenue generated from immobilised Russian assets. “The need for financial support is enormous and urgent,” said rapporteur Karin Karlsbro. “Russia must pay for the attack on Ukrainians and the brutal destruction of the country’s infrastructure, cities, villages, and homes. The burden of rebuilding Ukraine will fall on the shoulders of those responsible for its destruction, namely Russia.”
VOX POPULI
Support for European integration is growing
If a referendum on Ukraine’s accession to the EU were held today, 81% of respondents said they would participate, and 88% would vote in favour of joining, with only 8% opposed. This represents a significant increase in support from November–December 2021, when only 69% of respondents said they would participate, and the ratio of ‘for’ and ‘against’ was 78% and 18%.
Support for EU accession is strongest in western Ukraine (96%), followed by the central regions (90%), the east (81%) and the south (69%). The in-person survey was conducted in government-controlled regions of Ukraine among 2 016 respondents aged 18 and over. The theoretical sampling error does not exceed 2.3%.
UKRAINE-EU:
ACCESSION ALGORITHM
Katarina Mathernová:
The EU now recognises the impact of Russian disinformation
EU countries are making significant efforts to counter Russian propaganda, but this takes time. Russian propagandists exploited the foundations of European democracy (freedom of speech, free exchange of opinions and respect for the rights of citizens) to promote Kremlin narratives in the West. However, the situation changed after 24 February 2022. Russian disinformation became a factor in both Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the growing threat of military conflict with the West using nuclear weapons.
ECONOMY, BUSINESS, FINANCE
A powerful signal for investors
The EBRD and IFC are jointly providing a total of USD 435 million in long-term debt (USD 217.5 million for each organisation) to support a landmark project involving two leading Ukrainian telecom groups, lifecell and Datagroup-Volia, which recently merged to form a new group, Datagroup-Volia-lifecell. The investment will support the merged group with enhancing the resilience of the phone network and improving digital connectivity across Ukraine. Through this high-impact transaction, the merged group will deliver improved mobile connectivity to 10 million subscribers and provide faster and more reliable fixed broadband access to around 4 million homes.
Ukraine started exchange of information about citizens’ bank accounts
As part of the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) agreement, Ukraine will begin exchanging information about its citizens’ bank accounts with 123 countries worldwide. Starting this year, the Ukrainian tax authorities will annually receive data on the financial accounts of their tax residents held by financial institutions (banks, insurance, and investment companies) from abroad. In return, Ukraine will provide such information to partner countries about their residents.
The first data exchange between tax authorities occurred on 30 September. The Ukrainian tax authorities received information about new accounts opened by their residents abroad between 1 July and 31 December 2023.
SECURITY SUPPORT
Josep Borrell:
EU strongly condemns Russian killings of Ukrainian prisoners of war
The European Union strongly condemns the increasing executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russia, EU High Representative Josep Borrell said. He said that these killings are another “abhorrent example of Russia’s brutalisation of the Ukrainian people”. According to Borrell, these cases are appalling and represent grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions: “They demonstrate Russia’s continued and systematic disregard for international law, and in particular, international humanitarian law. Russia has clear obligations under the United Nations Charter and international law it must fulfil,” Borrell said.
The Prosecutor General of Ukraine said that up to 90% of Ukrainian soldiers were subjected to torture, sexual violence, or other forms of inhuman treatment in Russian captivity.
ENERGY AND EUROPEAN
GREEN DEAL
New EU decisions to increase Ukrainian energy sector resilience
EIB President Nadia Calviño presented the Ukraine Energy Rescue Plan, which provides up to EUR 600 million in financing for emergency energy projects across the public and private sectors. Initially, the emphasis will be on projects that generate electricity and heat using equipment which can be quickly set up to meet the urgent needs of households and businesses. The plan also focuses on projects to protect key electricity substations with shelters.
The European Commission strengthens support for green transition
On 21 October, the European Commission granted more than EUR 380 million to 133 new projects across Europe under the LIFE Programme for environment and climate action.
The allocated amount represents more than half of the EUR 574 million total investment needed for these projects – the remainder comes from national, regional and local governments, public- private partnerships, businesses, and civil society organisations.
LIFE projects contribute to reaching the European Green Deal’s broad range of climate, energy and environmental goals, including the EU’s aim to become climate- neutral by 2050 and to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.
LAW AND RULE OF LAW
Systematically and consistently:
The EU supports the fight against corruption in Ukraine
In 2023, Ukraine ranked 104 out of 180 countries in the Corruption Perception Index, according to Transparency International Ukraine. Over the last 10 years, Ukraine has improved its score by 11 points. This is the largest increase among EU candidate countries, with significant progress made during the war with Russia. This is the best indicator in the last decade, but remains quite low. Recognising the importance of overcoming this problem, the European Union actively supports anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine through implementing various initiatives and programmes. How exactly does this happen, and why is the fight against corruption critically important for Ukraine’s integration into the European Union?
HUMANITARIAN AID AND
SOCIAL SUPPORT
Veterans, their family members and families of the fallen will receive new opportunities for education and business development from the EU
“The EU is proud to provide relevant assistance for employment, launching of businesses, but also psychosocial support and awareness raising,” says Peter M. Wagner, Director of the European Commission’s Service for Foreign Policy Instruments. “True recovery and reconstruction is only possible together with those whose lives have been impacted so deeply by the war, and we want to contribute to making this happen”. The EU and IOM project will provide vocational training opportunities for about 170 veterans, their family members, and the families of the fallen. Up to 50 veteran-run businesses will receive grants and technical assistance.
GOOD GOVERNANCE
EU-funded project to modernise city water infrastructure in Chernivtsi
Chernivtsi will receive EU grant funds of EUR 19.75 million for modernisation of the city’s water infrastructure. KfW, the Chernivtsi City Council and the ‘Chernivtsivodokanal’ Municipal Enterprise signed a grant and project implementing agreement for the EU-supported ‘Municipal Infrastructure Development, Phase II’ project.
Communities in southern Ukraine will have access to drinking water
The destruction of the Kakhovka HPP and Russia’s constant attacks on infrastructure have made it harder or impossible for residents of southern Ukraine to access drinking water. Thanks to the EU-funded UNDP programme, five communities in the Kherson Oblast and three in the Dnipropetrovska Oblast received water trucks and water treatment facilities, which will have a decisive impact on the water supply situation. A total of 95 000 local residents received 10 water treatment facilities and 10 water trucks. In April 2024, the UNDP, with EU funding, also provided 15 water trucks and 30 mobile water treatment facilities to 14 communities in the Dnipropetrovska Oblast.
EDUCATION, SCIENCE, CULTURE
EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Mathernová:
EU investments in Ukrainian education are investments in our common future
The first regional event of the All-Ukrainian communication campaign, ‘Together We Learn & Grow’, focused on EU support for Ukrainian education and youth, and took place in Chernivtsi on 24 October.
During the event, EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Mathernová met with the rector of Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University (CNU), Ruslan Biloskurskyi. She also held discussions with students and professors of CNU and spoke to journalists from national and local media.
Ambassador Mathernová then visited Zastavna, where she presented students of Higher Vocational School No. 24 with modern agricultural equipment. She also met with the participants of the two-day training course for journalists of regional media titled ‘EU: Simply about complicated in Bukovyna’.