Political solution to granting 18 bln euros to Ukraine in 2023 to be found soon - EC
BRUSSELS. Dec 7 (Interfax) - A political solution that will enable the European Union to provide 18 billion euros of macro-financial assistance to Ukraine in 2023 will be found soon so that the funds can begin flowing as early as in January, European Commission Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis said.
Ukraine desperately needs support and one member country cannot be allowed to delay and derail EU financial support, Dombrovskis said at a press conference in Brussels on Tuesday after a meeting of the EU's Economic and Financial Affairs Council. The support must be delivered one way or another and the EU will deliver it, he said.
A decision on the aid was supposed to be made at the council meeting with a vote on three amendments to EU economic legislation that would allow the funds to be provided to Ukraine, but Hungary vetoed one of the amendments that needed unanimous approval. However, the council was able to pass the other two changes that required a qualified majority.
Dombrovskis said efforts to find a solution will continue over the coming days. The EU must demonstrate unity and solidarity and keep its promises to Ukraine, he said.
Speaking about possible solutions, he said the commission has already outlined them. There are two options, either guaranteeing the borrowing from the EU budget or guarantees from member states, Dombrovskis said.
Czech Finance Minister Zbynek Stanjura, who chaired the meeting, said everything possible will be done to guarantee the allocation of these funds to Ukraine at the beginning of January 2023. Whether it is plan A or plan B, this must be done at any price and it can be done, he said, adding that there are 20 days left for plan A or plan B.
Hungary has repeatedly said that it does not support this aid package. Instead, it proposed all EU members use funds from their own budgets to provide aid to Ukraine through bilateral agreements. The Hungarian government, for example, has decided to allocate 187 million euros for participation in financial aid to Ukraine, but these funds will be allocated from the national budget, not as part of the EU's collective plan.
The European Commission proposed providing Ukraine up to 18 billion euros in 2023 in a new format of macro-financial support, "macro-financial assistance plus", in regular payments. The new financial assistance program has not yet been approved and contains a number of terms and conditions, particularly adopting measures to strengthen governance and fight corruption. The European Parliament approved the allocation of this aid to Ukraine at the end of November.
Kiev currently receives support from Brussels as part of a macro-financial assistance program totaling 9 billion euros, as approved in the summer of 2022. Ukraine has received 5.5 billion euros of the funds, with another 500 million euros expected to be allocated in December. Dombrovskis recently noted that the final three billion euros of the program would be included in a proposed 18-billion-euro loan package to assist Ukraine next year.