EU disburses a billion-euro loan to Ukraine for the last time in 2023
The EU has announced the disbursement of a further aid loan for Ukraine. As Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Thursday, this is the last 1.5 billion euros from a total support program of 18 billion euros for 2023, which was agreed by the EU member states in December last year.
It is unclear how the financial aid for the country attacked by Russia will continue next year. A new aid program worth 50 billion euros for the next four years was supposed to have been agreed at the EU summit at the end of last week. However, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban prevented this with a veto. He had previously criticized the plans on several occasions and in this context also pointed out that in his view the EU had wrongly frozen funds earmarked for his country from the EU budget.
If no solution is found with Hungary in the coming weeks, the other EU member states in the group of 26 want to take action. A special EU summit on how to proceed has been announced for February 1. Von der Leyen warned on Thursday that an agreement must be found in order to continue to provide Ukraine with the support it needs.
With the financial aid, the EU wants to enable the Ukrainian state to continue paying wages and pensions. In addition, the operation of hospitals, schools and emergency shelters for resettled people is to be guaranteed. The money can also be used to restore infrastructure destroyed by the Russian war of aggression. This includes power lines, water systems, roads and bridges, for example.
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- Despite the objection from Hungary, there are concerns about securing a billion-euro loan from the EU for Ukraine beyond 2023, given that the current support program of 18 billion euros is coming to an end.
- The EU's provision of a final billion-euro loan to Ukraine in 2023 will help ensure the country's ability to pay salaries and pensions, maintain essential services like hospitals and schools, and rebuild damaged infrastructure such as power lines and bridges, all affected by the ongoing conflict.
- Regardless of Hungary's stance, the ongoing support is crucial for Ukraine, as the EU aid has played a significant role in helping the country adapt to times of hardship and rebuild after facing challenges, such as the loss of infrastructure and economic instability caused by the ongoing conflict with Russia.
Source: www.ntv.de
