The EU has named the reforms on which Ukraineʼs €20 billion budget support depends

The European Union expects Ukraine to make further progress in reforms in the area of the rule of law and the fight against corruption. €20 billion in budget support in 2026 depends on this.

This was stated by European Commission spokespeople Ariane Podesta and Guillaume Mercier at a briefing in Brussels on September 23, a Babel correspondent reports.

On the eve of the meeting, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in New York. After the meeting, she stated that as reforms progress in the Verkhovna Rada, budget support for Ukraine will increase. According to her, this year the EU has another €37 billion in funding available for Ukraine.

European Commission spokesman Guillaume Mercier explained that the reforms are part of Ukraineʼs plan under the Ukraine Facility. They cover, in particular, the energy sector, the rule of law and the fight against corruption.

He called reforms in the area of the rule of law and the fight against corruption key for the EU. Among them is the so-called Kachka-Kos plan, which concerns strengthening these areas and was included in the updated plan for Ukraine.

According to Mercier, if Ukraine adopts and implements the envisaged reforms in 2026, this could open the way to €20 billion in budget support. This includes funds within the Ukraine Facility and macro-financial assistance.

The European Commission also reported that last week, European Commissioners Valdis Dombrovskis and Marta Kos sent letters to the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada and the Prime Minister of Ukraine, in which they reminded them of the importance of further work on reforms.

The European Commission is currently assessing Ukraineʼs eighth request for disbursement under the Ukraine Facility. According to Mercier, some deadlines for reforms were already approaching, but Ukraine had not approved some of the necessary measures at that time.

At the same time, the EU noted that different types of financial and defense assistance to Ukraine have different conditions. Budget support directly depends on how Ukraine implements certain reforms.

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