At the end of the informal meeting of European leaders in Brussels [that ran] from Thursday night into Friday, 22 to 23 January, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen announced that the European Union, the United States, and Ukraine were close to reaching an agreement on a “single, unified” ‘prosperity framework’. This framework will be part of the EU’s security guarantees once a ceasefire has been put in place.
“We are talking about a single document representing the collective vision of the Ukrainians, the Americans, and Europe for Ukraine’s post-war future,” explained Mrs von der Leyen, adding that this document was based on the needs-assessment work carried out by the World Bank.
According to the president, the ‘prosperity framework’ proposes a response centred around five main focal points. First, it will be a matter of increasing productivity through business-friendly reforms and greater competition in the marketplace. The second objective is to accelerate Ukraine’s integration into the EU single market through reforms in key economic sectors. According to Mrs von der Leyen, another focus of their work is to significantly increase investments. “The Ukraine Investment Framework, part of our Ukraine Facility, is already in place. So, we can use structures that we have already built since the beginning of the war,” she explained. According to the president, this investment framework, the EU’s main investment instrument for the country, is “clearly” delivering results. The Ukraine Investment Framework was announced back in April 2024 (see EUROPE 13394/19).
The fourth pillar concerns strengthening donor coordination. “A robust and proven structure [...] already exists through the Ukraine Donor Platform. This donor platform brings together G7 countries, the European Commission, Ukraine, and other partners,” explained Mrs von der Leyen.
Finally, the ‘prosperity framework’ focuses on fundamental reforms [that are needed] in Ukraine to reinforce the rule of law, fight harder against corruption, and modernise public administration. “Because this is how we are able to build trust, and trust of our partners—and trust of the investors—is paramount,” reiterated the president. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)