STRASBOURG (dpa-AFX) – Ukraine can soon expect further EU aid in the billions. The EU Parliament approved loans of over five billion euros in Strasbourg on Thursday. The money is to be used for the day-to-day operations of the state. The loans are supported by guarantees from the member states because, according to the EU Commission, there are no longer sufficient resources available in the EU budget.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the adoption on Thursday during her visit to Kyiv. “The first part of the five billion can be paid out in mid-October,” she said.
The money is part of an aid package announced in May totaling nine billion euros. Before the five billion euros can be paid out, the EU states still have to give their formal consent. Since there is already a political agreement between the finance ministers of the states, this is considered a formality. One billion euros from the nine billion package was paid out at the beginning of August./dub/DP/ngu