The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted on Wednesday 14 December an “Action Plan. Resilience, Recover and Reconstruction” (2023-2026) developed “in close consultation with the Ukrainian authorities”.
The budget for this four-year collaboration will be €50 million, which is the largest sum ever allocated to a National Action Plan by Council of Europe.
This Plan “is part of our Organisation’s contribution to the rebuilding process and recovery of the country, faced with the brutal aggression of the Russian Federation and immense destruction”, said Marija Pejčinović Burić, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, before specifying that it would be “about heightening the resilience of public institutions through strengthening democratic governance and the Rule of law, and protecting citizens’ human rights”.
In addition to helping Ukraine deepen its reforms in line with its obligations as a Member State of the Council of Europe, this new arrangement is part of the EU candidate status granted to Ukraine by the European Council on 23 June 2022.
In its opinion on the application for accession, the European Commission called for reforms in the areas of constitutional justice, the fight against corruption and money laundering, the establishment of an independent judiciary, the promotion of freedom of expression and media freedom, and the strengthening of national minority rights.
These are all areas in which the Council of Europe has expertise.
It will work in cooperation with its Development Bank and in coordination with actors such as the EU, the UN and the OSCE.
Link to the Action Plan: https://aeur.eu/f/4ow (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)