On Wednesday 13 March, the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union announced that the EU27 had reached agreement on the ‘Ukraine Assistance Fund’.
“EU ambassadors have agreed in principle on a reform of the ‘European Peace Facility’ (EPF) to support Ukraine with a budget of €5 billion for 2024”, the Presidency announced on X (formerly Twitter). The decision is expected to be endorsed by the Foreign Affairs Council on Monday 18 March.
“The EU remains determined to provide lasting support to Ukraine and to ensure that the country has the military equipment it needs to defend itself”, promised the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU.
During the negotiations, Germany - the largest contributor to the EPF - emphasised the importance of its bilateral aid and France stressed the importance of sourcing from Europe (see EUROPE 13339/8).
The compromise reached would allow reimbursements already agreed for a Member State under the EPF to be subtracted from the amount of its contribution to the EPF. It would allow some flexibility on European purchasing rules, introducing the possibility of joint procurement outside the European defense industry and Norway when the EU's defense technological and industrial base cannot deliver in time to Ukraine. In addition, part of the Funds would be reserved for joint procurement from European industry. The agreement should also enable the fund to be used to help finance the Czech initiative to purchase hundreds of thousands of artillery shells from countries outside Europe.
To date, the EU has mobilised €6.1 billion through the ‘European Peace Facility’ to support Ukraine between 2022 and 2024.
This agreement should be welcomed by European leaders, according to the draft conclusions of the European Council of 21 and 22 March, dated 11 March.
Promise to step up military support
“As it exercises its inherent right to self-defence, Ukraine urgently needs air defence systems, ammunition and missiles. At this critical moment, the European Union and its Member States will speed up and intensify the delivery of all the necessary military assistance”, the leaders are expected to promise. They should welcome the Czech Republic’s initiative to buy ammunition as a matter of urgency.
The European Council should also welcome the bilateral agreements on security commitments concluded between Ukraine and several Member States and partners. The draft conclusions mention - but are not yet clear on - the approval of the EU’s contribution to security commitments.
While welcoming the adoption of the 13th package of sanctions against Russia, the European Council is expected to call for new measures. “Russia’s access to sensitive items and technologies with battlefield relevance must continue to be restricted to the extent possible, including by targeting entities in third countries enabling this illicit trade”, the text states. The European Council should also call on the High Representative and the European Commission to prepare new sanctions against Belarus, North Korea and Iran.
To see the draft conclusions: https://aeur.eu/f/baa (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)