The FINANCIAL — On June 18, on the occasion of his visit to Kyiv, Commissioner Hahn has signed with Minister of Economy, Mr Abromavicius, the financing agreement worth €55 million for the programme EU Support to Ukraine to Re-launch the Economy (EU SURE).
With this programme, the EU’s grant allocation for this year alone is set to amount to around €200 million and it is a further sign of the unprecedented support made available to a non-EU country in such a short period of time, in a variety of grants and loans. In addition, also today the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has ratified the “Memorandum of Understanding” for the third macro-financial assistance package from the European Union, amounting to €1.8 billion, according to the European Commission.
“Today’s ratification by the Ukrainian Parliament of the Memorandum of Understanding for the new EU macro-financial support is a clear sign of the commitment of Ukraine to its reforms path”, said Valdis Dombrovskis, Vice-President for the Euro and Social Dialogue. “The measures included in the Memorandum, in particular on the fight against corruption and on the reform of its public administration, are key for Ukraine to become a secure and prosperous state, despite the conflict in the East of the country. We are now working towards disbursing the first payment of EUR 600 million in the coming weeks.”
European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Commissioner, Johannes Hahn, said: “I am glad to sign the financing agreement for the 2015 special measure in support of private sector development and economic recovery. This programme will support the development of SMEs across Ukraine and early recovery of those regions most affected by the conflict. The package will help to set up Business Support Centres in 15 regions. We hope this can help launch new businesses and contribute to a new start for people who have had to leave their homes due to the conflict.”
This is part of a wider coordinated effort under the Eastern Partnership to improve access to finance for SMEs and to help them prepare for the Trade part of the Association Agreement aiming at establishing a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area which will be provisionally applied as of 1 January 2016. The recently launched DCFTA Facility should leverage about €1billion for Ukraine to help SMEs seize new trade opportunities, improve access to finance and helping businesses comply with European standards.
During his visit Commissioner Hahn will also be announcing that, in recognition of reform efforts undertaken, Ukraine will receive a substantial additional allocation this year under the Umbrella fund, which means that Ukraine will benefit from at least €200 million this year in grant funding, in line with commitments taken in March of last year.