Office of the President accuses "some EU countries, particularly Germany" of holding back €8 billion in macro-financial assistance to Ukraine
"EUROPEAN PRAVDA" – TUESDAY, 2 AUGUST 2022, 20:25
Ihor Zhovkva, diplomatic advisor to the President of Ukraine and deputy head of the Office of the President, has claimed that Germany and some other EU countries are blocking the second tranche of micro-financial assistance, worth €8 billion, reports "European Pravda".
"There was a very positive piece of news today: Ukraine has received €1 billion out of €9 billion of macro-financial assistance which has been approved by the leaders of all member states of the European Union. The European Council has twice confirmed this decision," stated Zhovkva at the briefing on Tuesday.
"We are expecting to receive €8 billion more. Unfortunately, some countries in the European Union, particularly Germany, have so far blocked the examination of this issue, and the President of Ukraine is conducting active talks with his partners," he added.
On Monday Arianna Podestà, spokesperson for the European Commission, claimed that the EU currently does not have the funds to provide the second tranche, worth €8 billion.
She stated that the current multi-year budget does not allow sufficient funds to create a financial airbag. The EU was therefore considering alternative solutions, particularly using guarantees provided by the member states.
It was subsequently revealed that during a talk with Emmanuel Macron on Monday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked for help to unblock the macro-financial assistance due to be provided by the EU.
Background:
At the summit on 24 June, the European Council decided to provide Ukraine with macro-financial assistance worth €9 billion.
On 7 July the European Parliament approved the European Commission’s proposal to disburse the first €1 billion tranche, and on 12 July this decision was approved by the Council of the European Union.
On 19 July Valdis Dombrovskis, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, signed a memorandum of understanding concerning the provision to Ukraine of 1 billion euros in macro-financial assistance. The first €500 million tranche was disbursed on Monday and the second on Tuesday.
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