- EU countries have announced a €9 billion loan to Ukraine, but have only disbursed €1 billion so far.
- According to unofficial information, the next installment has been blocked by Germany
- Our western neighbor fears that Ukraine will not be able to service its debt and the cost will fall on EU countries.
- “It was a mistake and I hope it will be corrected,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says of the delays.
- More such information can be found on the main page of Onet.pl
In May, the European Commission granted €9 billion in exceptional macro-financial assistance to the government in Kiev in response to Russia’s ongoing aggression and related economic problems in Ukraine. EU countries also announced in May that they were ready to provide this additional aid to Ukraine.
Of this amount, the EC paid only EUR 1 billion to Ukraine at the beginning of August It is not known when Kyiv will receive the remaining 8 billion.
These funds do not come from the EU budget. The EC borrows them from the financial markets based on guarantees from member states. However, granting such guarantees requires the unanimity of the 27 EU countries.
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“At present, Germany is opposed to providing such guarantees. Jobs are interrupted. Berlin is concerned that Ukraine will not be able to repay the money in the future and that the EU will have to do so. However, Russia’s aggression continues, people are dying in Ukraine, and the country will not cope without this help “- an EU diplomatic source told PAP.
The European Commission was asked about the issue in Brussels on Friday. A journalist asked for information that member states are blocking the transfer of macro-financial assistance to Ukraine. However, the Election Commission did not respond to the query.
“We are working on providing another 8 billion euros of macro-financial assistance to Ukraine,” European Commission spokeswoman Arianna Podesta responded. He added that the EC is ready to disburse the rest of the funds as soon as it receives a mandate from the Council (27 EU countries). “We are consulting with member states” – added Podesta.
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When asked whether the European Commission could ignore Germany’s “blockade” and issue guarantees based on the consent of the 26 member states, the European Commission did not respond. “We analyze various options. (…) We will not speculate on this issue at the moment “- said Eric Mamar, the spokesman of the Election Commission. He did not answer the question of what these options are.
The PAP asked the German side to comment on the unofficial reports. However, the German Finance Ministry did not respond to a question about the position on the payment of the remaining 8 billion euros.
“On July 1, the Commission proposed emergency macro-financial assistance of 1 billion euros to Ukraine, which will be guaranteed from the EU budget. Germany supported this proposal, which was adopted by the Council on July 12. (. ..) Now we await the Commission’s proposal for the remaining measures. , we will analyze it soon “- the German finance ministry told PAP.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi pointed out the delay in transferring EU macro-financial assistance. As he said on Thursday, the citizens of Ukraine cannot be held hostage by the EU’s “indecision or bureaucracy”.
“8 billion euros for Ukraine are currently blocked. And artificially delaying macro-financial assistance to our country is a crime or a mistake, and it’s hard to say what’s worse than a full-scale war. I don’t want to mention now which European country is slowing it down. I believe this is a bug and will be fixed“- Zelensky pointed out.
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