A draft seen by Reuters on Friday showed that European Union leaders would agree on May 30 with Russia to create a fund to rebuild Ukraine after the war ends, but would not give details on how it would be financed.
The European Commission proposed on Wednesday the creation of a “RebuildUkraine” fund of unspecified grants and loans, modeled after the existing EU recovery fund.
A draft of the bloc leaders’ conclusions said, “A Ukrainian restructuring platform should be created that brings together the Ukrainian government, member states, the European Union, as well as partners, institutions and funding bodies.”
“The platform will be supported by a new EU solidarity instrument that combines contributions from the EU and member states,” the draft said, without specifying whether the new EU solidarity instrument should include new joint EU loans. it was said.
Germany said it opposes more common EU debt.
Economists’ estimates of the cost of rebuilding Ukraine range largely between €500 billion and €2 trillion, depending on assumptions about the duration of the conflict and the extent of destruction.
The draft shows that with sums of this size, the EU is also considering confiscating Russian assets frozen by the bloc as a source of funds, and EU leaders will provide support.
“The Council of Europe welcomes efforts to provide appropriate confiscation measures, including exploring options for using frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine’s reconstruction,” the draft said. it was said.
“In this context, the Council (composed of ministers) is invited to act swiftly on the Commission’s final proposal on criminal law measures in case of breach of EU sanctions,” the draft said. will be changed.
source: Noticias
