On Thursday, 15 September, a large majority in the European Parliament approved (534 votes in favour, 30 against, and 26 abstentions) €5 billion in new macrofinancial assistance granted to Ukraine so that the country can honour its financial commitments for 2022.
The aid—which will take the form of long-term loans on favourable terms—is part of an aid package that can provide up to €9 billion and that was approved by the European Council in June. The assistance requires public guarantees from Member States due to its scale and the limited margin available in the European Union’s budget.
Last Friday, finance ministers had unanimously approved creating public guarantees, which require the approval of national parliaments, despite initial reluctance on the part of the Hungarian authorities (see EUROPE 13018/9).
The granting of aid is conditional on compliance with international democratic standards and on anti-fraud and anti-corruption measures.
During the vote, MEPs from parties in the Identity and Democracy group were divided. For the largest party, the Italians from the Lega voted in favour; the French from the Rassemblement National abstained, while the others voted against. In The Left (a group representing the radical left), the French from France Insoumise and the Germans from Die Linke voted in favour.
Discussions at the EU level will now focus on granting up to €3 billion in additional aid as part of the package that is already on the table. In this respect, bilateral aid that Member States provide Ukraine could be taken into account.
See the legislative proposal: https://aeur.eu/f/341 (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)