Ukraine

Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, there were more than 200 EU-funded projects active in Ukraine across a wide range of sectors, regions and cities, supporting the country’s ambitious reform agenda.

Since the start of the war, the EU Delegation to Ukraine and EU projects working with Ukraine have reacted to the Russian aggression by rapidly repurposing their activities in the face of the humanitarian crisis and the massive displacement of populations.

Up to 200 million euros worth of EU funding initially foreseen for the work of the projects and as grant money has been rechanneled to thousands of activities providing much needed assistance to Ukraine during the war. These range from providing emergency aid, essential supplies, setting up shelters, providing medicines and medical equipment, to supporting Ukrainian refugees, civil society organisations, media outlets, entrepreneurs, civil servants and many vulnerable groups. 

HIGHLIGHTS

• The Pravo Justice II project is advising the Office of the Prosecutor General and other Ukrainian institutions on the investigation and documentation of war crimes, as well as providing advice to the Ukrainian government on developing legislation under martial law. Since the Russian invasion, the project has also supplied 1,700 tons of food to war-affected areas, as well as 20 tons of animal feed for pet shelters and zoos.
• A medical chatbot ‘medbot Marta’ is a fast and convenient channel of communication between patients and doctors available on Telegram and Viber in Ukraine. Medbot Marta is in high demand during the war due to the lack of physical access to medical care. The EU supports the work of the East Europe Foundation, which is helping the application's team to work with doctors from Mariupol to make medical advice more accessible online.
• European Neighbourhood Instrument Cross-Border Cooperation projects working with Ukraine, especially those in Poland, have mobilised to assist refugees, setting up shelters, providing aid and medical assistance. Read more
• With the logistical support of the EU-funded U-LEAD with Europe team, emergency aid has been delivered to partner municipalities in western Ukraine, providing assistance to thousands of internally displaced people. Read more
• The e-Governance Academy continues its support for Ukraine within the EU4DigitalUA project and other projects supported by the EU. Their work focuses on strengthening Ukraine’s cybersecurity, the safety of Ukrainian public registers and databases, as well as support to various Ukrainian state bodies.
• Ukraine is one of the countries within the Collaborate for Impact project led by the European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA). Their partner SILab Ukraine is working hard to help Ukrainian companies overcome difficulties in times of war. They have recently launched a call for proposals for social enterprises through the Ukrainian Social Venture Fund.
• The EU-funded ‘EU4Business: SME Competitiveness and Internationalisation’ programme has continued to support Ukrainian SMEs during the war, with cooperation temporarily concentrated in the western regions of Ukraine. Activities aim to preserve jobs and support the Ukrainian economy, provide jobs for IDPs and women, and help SMEs to diversify their business models, including by digitalising products and services. Read more
• The SOS Rescue – the training centre for organising and operating cross-border rescue actions project, previously worked to increase the effectiveness of trans-border mountain rescue actions, setting up coordination and training centres on both sides of the border, and equipping partners with advanced rescue devices. While the project’s training centre in Poland has now been turned into an Emergency Centre for Ukraine, trainings planned under the project are continuing, last week beginning a specialised training to provide medical first aid.
• The EU4GenderEquality programme is responding to the emerging needs of women and men in Ukraine by providing support through civil society organisations in Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia. Its cooperation partner UNFPA Ukraine is providing psychological counselling, crisis communication support and essentials to Ukrainian women from vulnerable groups.
• The EU-funded integrated border management programme has provided more than 100,000 ready to eat meals to Ukrainian defenders at the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.
• The European Endowment for Democracy has established with EU funding a centre for Ukrainian activists in Przemyśl in eastern Poland to serve as a working space for media and civic activists. The EED is also supporting Ukrainian civil society and independent media with rapid and flexible grants that are issued within 12 hours or less after the request is received.
• The EU together with WHO have delivered 20 tonnes of medical kits and surgical equipment to Ukraine to alleviate the great needs of the population suffering from Russia’s invasion.
• Together with UNDP Ukraine, the EU delivers food supplies to the hard-to-reach communities in Pryvillia, Kreminna and Nyzhnia Duvanka in the Luhansk oblast of Ukraine.
• Within days of the invasion, the European Investment Bank, in cooperation with the European Commission, prepared an emergency solidarity package for Ukraine. The package included €668 million in immediate assistance for the Ukrainian authorities.
• The EU is supporting the central government portal of Ukraine and the state hotline that provides information about assistance needs in Ukraine. Everyone wishing to provide humanitarian or financial assistance to Ukrainians can find relevant information on the platform or by calling to the hotline.
• Besides much-needed humanitarian assistance, the International Migration Organisation (IOM) in Ukraine provides displaced people with timely and up-to-date information with financial assistance from the EU. At border crossing points, the IOM team distributes leaflets on temporary protection in EU countries to refugees.
• The European Anti-Corruption Initiative provided humanitarian assistance to Ukraine during the first weeks of the war and is now continuing to support national anti-corruption institutions and protect Ukrainian journalists that provide coverage of the war. Read more
• The EU-funded EU4Culture project is offering mobility grants for artists and cultural professionals from Ukraine. The call is open for internships, study visits, conferences, professional developments, and other activities that foster knowledge exchange and intercultural dialogue. Read more
• The Polish beneficiary of the EU-funded cross-border cooperation project ‘Rzeszów and Vynohradiv – animal-friendly cities’ (CBC4animals) is looking for new owners and support for shelter dogs fleeing the war in Ukraine. Read more
• The Romanian non-governmental organisations platform ‘FOND’ has launched the ‘SOS Ukraine! Humanity without borders’ campaign to help Ukrainian NGOs. The action aims at raising funds for the NGOs in Ukraine, which are long-standing partners of FOND and the EU-funded Black Sea NGO Forum. Read more
• Civil society in and outside Ukraine is at the forefront of mobilising aid and monitoring the situation on the ground. Many of them are members of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum and are supported by the forum. Their activities include setting up shelters, providing aid, doing fact-checking, helping cultural NGOs and hosting Ukrainian freelancers. The forum also produces the Eastern Partnership Index that in its latest publication focused on Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova and their readiness to join the EU. Read more
• The East Europe Foundation has launched its Shelter Project for emergency assistance to all those who are leaving their homes and seeking shelter in safer areas of Ukraine. The project is aimed at supporting internally displaced persons and raising funds for their needs.
• The Mayors for Economic Growth programme is working with local authorities in Ukraine helping them develop a better emergency response that includes effective crisis management and timely provision of public services. Together with UNDP, the programme will strengthen the capacity of civil society to absorb and distribute humanitarian assistance.
• With the launch of the EU and Member States’ flagship “Ukraine2EU” programme, strategic guidance and expert support are now being provided to help Ukrainian authorities lead the reform process on the path to EU membership.

Ukraine is a priority partner for the EU.

With the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement  (AA) including a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA)  signed in 2014 and in force since 2017 after being provisionally applied, our relations have with Ukraine achieved an unprecedented  level of closeness. The AA/DCFTA is the blueprint for Ukraine’s ambitious reform agenda kicked off with the 2013-2014 Maidan and for the EU’s support. It is based on shared values and commitment to respect for democratic principles, the rule of law, good governance, human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Our common goal is further economic integration and political association between Ukraine and the EU. In order to achieve that, the EU supports Ukraine through a variety of instruments.

Overall, since 2014, the EU and Financial Institutions (European Investment Bank and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development) have allocated over €17 billion in grants and loans to help Ukraine stabilise its economy, carry out comprehensive reforms, to improve the lives of its citizens as well as to mitigate the consequences of the conflict in the country’s eastern regions. This has included substantial bilateral financial and technical assistance under the European Neighbourhood Instrument (over €1.565 billion for the period 2014-2020).

Our partnership has been built on the principle that as long as Ukraine keeps reforming at an unprecedented level, the EU keeps supporting at an unprecedented level. The Multi-annual Financial Framework 2021-2027will continue the bilateral assistance to Ukraine under the “Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe” (NDICI-Global Europe). A Multi-annual Indicative Programme for the 7 years would prioritize areas of economy, rule of law, climate resilience, digital transformation, support to civil society and response to conflict. The indicative bilateral budget for the period 2021-2024 is €640 million.

In addition, EU support will be underpinned by an Economic and Investment Plan for the Eastern Partnership in grants, blending and guarantees, mobilising €1.5 billion for Ukraine, with a potential to leverage up to €6.5 billion in public and private investments. The Plan identified five flagship initiatives for Ukraine to support in particular SMEs, rural areas,connectivity, digital transformation and energy efficiency.

The EU bilateral support to Ukraine is coordinated by the European Commission’s Support Group for Ukraine (SGUA). Together with the EU Delegation to Ukraine, SGUA has developed support programmes for key reform areas (e.g. for decentralisation, the fight against corruption or strengthening the rule of law) which are often co-financed and implemented by EU Member States. The EU also supports the Ukrainian civil society through grants from different financial instruments, through contributions to the European Endowment for Democracy and a steady dialogue that informs our policymaking.

Ukraine benefits from Twinning and TAIEX, and, besides the bilateral support, from regional and multi-country programmes for the Eastern Partnership countries. In addition to the Chornobyl Shelter Fund, support is provided via the Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation (INSC II) 2014-2020.

Ukraine has gained access to different European Union programmes. It has become, for instance, the frontrunner of Erasmus+ among the Eastern Partnership countries. Ukraine is also  associated to several EU programmes: the Horizon Europe programme for research and innovation; the Euratom Research and Training programme; and the Creative Europe programme supporting the cultural, creative and audio-visual sectors.

Furthermore, the EU mobilised via five programmes a total of €5.61 billion in Macro-Financial Assistance for Ukraine, paid upon the fulfilment of reform conditions. Most recently, Ukraine benefited from €1.2 billion fourth MFA programme, which was part of the emergency crisis MFA package to help the neighbourhood countries to limit the economic fallout of the Covid pandemic. The first tranche of €600 million was disbursed on 9 December 2020 and the second of €600 million on 25 October 2021.

The EU has helped Ukraine deal with the humanitarian, social and economic consequences of the conflict in the eastern regions, providing €986 million since the start of the conflict. Since 2017, a €50 million programme for eastern Ukraine supports good governance and decentralisation, economic revitalisation, community security, social cohesion, health care, displaced universities and infrastructure. In 2019, the programme was topped-up by €10 million and expanded to the Sea of Azov. In 2020, the EU adopted a follow-up €30 million EU4Resilient Regions programme. It targets social capital, human security and information integrity in particularly vulnerable regions. The programme is also part of the EU’s COVID-19 response for Ukraine. The EU furthermore provides support for early recovery and co-funds the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission, to which the EU and its Member States have been the biggest contributor so far, providing about two thirds of both the mission's budget and monitors.

Large investments have been channelled to Ukraine via the EU External Investment Plan, notably the Neighbourhood Investment Platform, by pooling grant resources from the EU budget and the EU Member States and using them to leverage loans from European Financial Institutions. Since 2014, over EUR 244 million have been mobilised through the NIP to Ukraine in fields such as transport connectivity and greening, energy efficiency, support to SMEs, municipal infrastructure and local currency lending, as well as funding for alleviating the economic consequences of Covid-19. Furthermore, the implementation of the flagship initiatives identified under the Economic and Investment Plan has started, with for example the signature of loan agreements in 2021 to make public buildings more energy efficient, and to step up EBRD lending to SMEs.

Loans amounting to €5.94[1] billion have been mobilised by the European Investment Bank (EIB) since 2014 and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has currently ongoing investments worth more than €4 billion. (Note: mobilisation of loans does not necessarily mean disbursement as this depends on the degree of maturity of projects).

Via the European Union Advisory Mission (EUAM) Ukraine, Ukraine-based international experts mainly from EU Member States assist the country since December 2014 with the reform of the civilian security sector, including in the fight against corruption. Its mandate was extended until May 2024.