Today, the Commission has paid the final instalment of €1.5 billion under the macro-financial assistance package for Ukraine, bringing total support to the maximum level of €18 billion, the largest macro-financial assistance operation in the history of the instrument”, a statement reads. With this instrument, the EU helped Ukraine “cover its immediate funding needs in 2023 by means of stable, predictable and sizeable financial support”. According to the Commission’s statement, this support “will help Ukraine to continue paying wages and pensions, and keep essential public services running, such as hospitals, schools, and housing for relocated people. It will also allow Ukraine to ensure macroeconomic stability and restore critical infrastructure destroyed by Russia in its war of aggression, such as energy infrastructure, water systems, transport networks, roads and bridges”.
Today’s payment comes after the Commission found on 14 December that Ukraine “has successfully implemented the agreed policy conditions”. Ukraine “has notably achieved important progress to enhance macro-financial stability with the improvement of the bankruptcy and insolvency framework, as well as to strengthen the rule of law”. President Ursula von der Leyen said: “Today we unlocked the final payment of €1.5 billion of macro-financial assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the year. As Ukraine continues to face Russia’s brutal war of aggression, we must continue to support Ukraine to ensure its economic stability, reform and reconstruction”.