The European Commission and Ukraine have signed four agreements, including a $496 million program to support Kiev, during the 8th EU-Ukraine Association Council in Brussels on Monday, European Commission spokesman Eric Mamer said
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th September, 2022) The European Commission and Ukraine have signed four agreements, including a $496 million program to support Kiev, during the 8th EU-Ukraine Association Council in Brussels on Monday, European Commission spokesman Eric Mamer said.
"In the margins of the Association Council, the European Commission is signing four sectoral agreements to further strengthen EU-Ukraine cooperation. First, the Commission and Ukraine have signed today a new 500 million budget support programme as part of the pledges announced by (EU Commission) President von der Leyen in the 'Stand up for Ukraine' campaign in April and High Level International Donors' Conference in May in Warsaw," Mamer told a briefing.
The funds will be used to provide housing and education for internally displaced persons and returnees, as well as to support the agricultural sector of Ukraine, Mamer said.
The parties also signed three more agreements. Under the first agreement, Ukraine joins the Digital Europe Programme, which will allow Ukrainian businesses, organizations, and public administrations to apply for funding and support for projects in digital areas.
"Finally, the Commission signed today two agreements which pave the way for Ukraine's participation in the EU's Customs and Fiscalis programmes. This is a major boost for cooperation between the EU and Ukraine on customs and tax matters," Mamer added.
The Association Council is chaired by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Mamer noted.
In mid-August, the Ukraine Support Tracker of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy said that since the start of Russia's military operation in Ukraine on February 24, Kiev received 84.2 billion Euros in aid from Western countries.
