Neighbourhood Policy Commissioner Johannes Hahn expressed his satisfaction on Friday 28 October at the work done over 18 months by the Support Group for Ukraine. The Group was set up in spring 2014 on the initiative of the then Commission president following the appointment of a reforming government in the wake of the events of Maidan.
“The Support Group for Ukraine has been successful in supporting the reform agenda of the Ukrainian authorities .... Many of the key steps and notable new laws have been undertaken with the assistance of the Support Group which is proving to be an excellent tool to foster reform and co-ordinate EU efforts”, said the commissioner in a press release. He went on to say that “this support is just a start”.
In its report on the first 18 months of the Support Group, published on 28 October, the Commission says that, inter alia, the Group has been able to “help shape and focus Ukrainian reforms, and design financial support to advance them”. According to the report, the Group has been most effective where it has adopted a targeted approach focusing on measures to advance the reform agenda in specific sectors (for example, and most successfully, agriculture, energy, transport). In adapting to reform needs as they evolve “in a sometimes unstable political and economic environment”, the Group “has been able to make a distinctive contribution to the Ukrainian reform agenda”, the report adds. The Commission states that the Group had formed effective working relationships with other EU actors active in Ukraine, including the EU delegation, and with counterparts in ministries and government agencies, which has been key to the success of the reform process.
The Commission acknowledges, however, that “the tangible impact of the Support Group’s work could be enhanced in a number of ways”. So, in future, it will seek to further strengthen strategic coordination with member states of ongoing assistance, with a view to increasing the overall impact of EU action. “Further synergies, and thus even greater impact, could be achieved by enhanced coordination with member states on programming, including on priorities for future intervention, with lead actors in each field”, the Commission says. It hopes, too, that the work of the Group will enjoy higher visibility. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)