The EPP Group is urging EU Member States to agree on a revision of the bloc’s long-term budget – a prerequisite to securing a new multi-billion package of financial support for Ukraine. At today’s plenary vote, the European Parliament will adopt its position on the proposed ‘Ukraine Facility’, worth a combined €50 billion through grants and loans.
“We urgently need an agreement on the Ukraine Facility so the EU’s steadfast support for Ukraine will continue smoothly. We urge Member States to do their part to ensure the successful conclusion of the revision of the EU’s long-term budget, the Multiannual Financial Framework, by the end of this year.”, reminds Petri Sarvamaa MEP, who led negotiations on behalf of the EPP Group in the Budgets Committee.
Fresh funding is desperately needed in Ukraine, a country devastated by Russia’s ongoing brutal war of aggression, acccording to the Parliament’s lead negotiator for the Foreign Affairs Committee, Michael Gahler MEP. “The Ukraine Facility combines the processes of reconstruction and EU accession. We also want to empower municipalities and regions as well as small and medium-sized businesses,” MEP Gahler said.
The Parliament will fulfil its budgetary responsibility by scrutinising the rollout of EU funds to Ukraine, as MEP Sarvamaa added, “Endorsing the rule of law, as well as other fundamental European values, will create a steady foundation for a stronger Ukraine. It will finally allow for Ukraine’s complete separation from the Russian influence. In addition, we aim to ensure that EU budget funds are used efficiently and with clear oversight and transparency. We are determined that Parliament, as one arm of the budgetary authority, plays a full role in the process”.
