Ukraine and the EU Accelerate Reconstruction: New Financial Packages and Business Support

Ukraine continues its reconstruction even amid full-scale war, and the European Union is stepping up its support for this process. This was the key message of the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC2026), held in the Polish city of Gdańsk.

As reported by the European Union in Ukraine, the conference marked another important milestone on Ukraine’s path towards European integration. The event took place just days after the opening of the first cluster of Ukraine’s EU accession negotiations.

During the conference, the European Union announced the allocation of €3.2 billion — the first tranche of the new Ukraine Support Loan financial instrument, which has a total value of €90 billion.

In addition, investment agreements worth €1.1 billion were signed under the Ukraine Investment Framework, with a further €478 million to be directed towards restoring vital community services.

Special attention was given to supporting Ukrainian businesses. Small and medium-sized enterprises were granted access to €500 million in new lending.

A number of international initiatives were also announced at URC2026. The United Kingdom and Germany joined the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative, which aims to strengthen the institutions necessary for Ukraine’s continued progress towards EU membership.

Lithuania and Estonia joined the STEP IN 2 EU programme, while Germany and Norway increased their funding for it to support the integration of Ukrainian businesses into the EU single market.

The EU also launched the EU4SAR programme in partnership with Expertise France, worth €4.5 million, which envisages the modernisation of state asset management and privatisation processes.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development announced over €500 million in new financing, including €100 million from the EU. The bank’s total support for Ukraine since the start of the full-scale war has reached €10.5 billion.

Furthermore, the European Union will allocate €2 million for the preservation of Ukraine’s documentary heritage and €10.7 million to support compensation for citizens whose homes have been destroyed, in partnership with the Council of Europe Development Bank.

The URC2026 conference in Gdańsk served not only as a platform for announcing international support packages, but also for showcasing investment projects from Ukrainian communities. Dozens of municipalities from various regions of the country presented their initiatives. Among them, the Yasinya community presented projects in education, healthcare, and energy development; the Ostroh community presented plans for building shelters, creating a veterans’ space, and developing an industrial zone; Beryslav district presented projects for restoring housing, cultural centres, and water supply systems following Russian occupation; the Hoshcha community presented the “Revival Quarter” project for internally displaced persons and a specialist clinic for children with leukaemia; and the Horinchevo community in Zakarpattia Oblast presented three key projects — the creation of an industrial park, the reconstruction of a kindergarten, and the development of a modern waste management system.

In total, Ukrainian communities presented more than 530 projects at URC2026, aimed at attracting international partners and investment for the country’s reconstruction.

The EU Delegation in Ukraine emphasised that Ukraine and the European Union are continuing to build their shared European future step by step, combining the country’s reconstruction with the implementation of necessary reforms.

The next Ukraine Recovery Conference in 2027 will be held in Estonia.

Author: Iryna Pavliv

Source: Raion. Zakordоn