On behalf of the European Union, the European Commission on Wednesday 9 December disbursed €600 million to Ukraine as part of a €1.2 billion macrofinancial assistance package to combat the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic (see EUROPE 12534/26).
The European institution highlights this “tangible” proof of European solidarity with its neighbour. It stresses that, because of the urgency of the economic and health crisis, this first disbursement is not subject to any particular conditions.
However, the second tranche will be conditional on the implementation of eight specific measures included in the Memorandum of Understanding between the EU and Ukraine, including the fight against corruption and the governance of state-owned enterprises.
Commission Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis supported the Ukrainian government’s efforts to “bring Ukraine closer to the European Union” in a statement.
On Tuesday, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, and Commissioner for Neighbourhood Olivér Várhelyi urged Kiev to work towards the Rule of law (see other news). (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)