On 28 February, the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum co-signed an open letter proposing improvement to the Ukraine Facility Regulation.
The letter was addressed to Commissioner for Enlargement, Ms Marta Kos; Director-General for Enlargement and the Eastern Neighbourhood, Mr Gert Jan Koopman and Eu AMbassador and Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine, H.E. Katarína Mathernová.
The text of this letter is available below and a PDF copy, with annex and full list of signatories, at the bottom of this page.
Dear Commissioner Kos, Director-General Koopman, and Ambassador Mathernová,
We, the undersigned Ukrainian and European civil society organisations, appeal to you concerning the implementation of the Ukraine Facility Regulation as it reaches its one-year mark.
In light of recent geopolitical developments, the Ukraine Facility now more than ever constitutes a vital support mechanism for Ukraine, providing EUR 50 billion over the 2024-2027 period. This funding is helping Ukraine in its efforts to maintain macro-financial stability, promote recovery, and strengthen governance on its path to EU accession.
However, we believe the Ukraine Facility could have a far greater impact. To this end, we urge the European Commission to consider the following recommendations:
- Increase the quality of documents produced within the Ukraine Plan to be conducive to effective implementation and sustainable reforms.
- Improve the visibility and transparency of the Ukraine Investment Framework for the public and civil society organisations.
- Streamline climate and environmental objectives, including biodiversity conservation and the principle of ‘do no significant harm’, ensuring they apply to 20 per cent of total financing under the Ukraine Investment Framework and investments within the Ukraine Plan.
- Establish a platform for civil society organisations to submit their opinions along with a procedure for transparently tracking and incorporating their opinions into official documents.
- Ensure Ukrainian municipalities receive access to 20 per cent direct financial support from the Ukraine Plan through newly developed methodologies for submitting project concepts for public investment funding.
- Prioritise grant support for Ukrainian civil society organisations.
We hope these recommendations will also contribute to the Commission’s annual report to the European Parliament and Council on progress towards achieving the objectives of the Ukraine Facility Regulation.
More detailed recommendations are provided in the Annex to this letter (see below).
Thank you in advance for your consideration and support.
Additional resources
Click here to download the open letter.
