A guide to the EU’s support to Ukraine in the war against Russia
In the wake of the Russian invasion, the European Union announced an unprecedented wave of initiatives aimed at helping Ukrainians. We may divide them into the following categories: Economic and financial, military, humanitarian, and specific aid.
One thing is certain, this is the right opportunity for the EU to respond to the criminal acts in a coordinated and swift way, and to present itself as strong and united on the world’s stage. Multiple countries are demonstrating a strong attachment to Ukraine, as they see the European values at stake. Here, I’ll try to sum up the many initiatives announced by the European Union as a whole and by the different Member States. Do you think they will be enough, or should the EU do even more?
Economic and Military Aid
As far as Economic and Financial aid is concerned, the EU stressed first and foremost the unconditional support aimed at ensuring the Ukrainian government's resilience and ability to cover expenditures.
Namely, it will provide Ukraine with €1.2 billion in loans to support the country’s economic stability. The measure will be managed by the European Commission for a duration of 12 months, and the maximum maturity of the loan is 15 years. The first instalment of €600 million has already been paid out in March. What’s more, in April the European Commission has announced the disbursement of additional €120 million for state and resilience building.
On the other hand, the aid announced for the military field represents a completely unexpected outcome of this conflict, as in an unprecedented and unanimous reaction to the invasion, the Member States have decided to supply Kyiv with military equipment.
The key role is represented by the European Peace Facility. This off-budget instrument was established in March 2021 to provide the EU with the tools to act as a global security actor, with the scope of building peace and preventing conflicts.
Through it, the EU supports the resilience of the Ukrainian Armed Forces by providing €1.5 billion[1] to better coordinate the Member States’ supplies of military equipment to Kyiv.
This has been regarded as a watershed decision, as it is the first time the EU finances the purchase and delivery of weapons to a country under attack.
Humanitarian Aid
Taking into consideration the Humanitarian field, the Commission has set up an emergency package of almost €550 million, of which €330 million will be part of an emergency support programme to secure basic goods and services for refugees.
This package also includes funds for the Republic of Moldova, to provide assistance to those fleeing Ukraine. In this regard, the Commission estimates that 11 million people have been displaced — of whom, over 4.5 million are outside the borders of Ukraine. In addition, Moldova will also be supported by Frontex, thanks to an agreement signed in March 2022 with the European Commission, to strengthen border management cooperation.
The key role is represented by EU Civil Protection Mechanism. This mechanism empowers the Commission to coordinate assistance, with special regards to medical assistance and civil protection support from 29 countries.[2] Further assistance has been sent to Kyiv through the RescEU medical stockpiles from Germany, Hungary and The Netherlands, with a total value of over €10 million.
Moreover, the Council has activated the Temporary Protection Directive to grant access to the EU and assistance to everyone fleeing the war. In this way, those eligible for temporary protection will be able to stay in the EU for at least one year, they will be granted a residence permit, access to the labour market and to education, as well as social welfare assistance.
To ensure additional flexibility in Cohesion Policy funding to support Member States hosting refugees, the Commission has proposed the Cohesion’s Action for Refugees in Europe (CARE), which will allow actions for people fleeing the war in Ukraine to be supported under Cohesion Policy.
Other initiatives put in place by the Member States
Besides EU joint initiatives, the EU member States have also individually mobilized in order to grant greater support to Ukraine and ensure refugees fleeing the war are welcomed and granted the necessary assistance.
Among the others, Italy has established a €500 million fund to support Ukrainian students enrolled or adhering to the Erasmus+ programme at Italian Universities. In some other Member States as Italy, Slovakia, Poland, Germany, Austria and Belgium, many public transport operators have offered Ukrainian citizens to travel free of charge.
Some others, such as Romania, Latvia, and Poland, have set up dedicated platforms to coordinate the delivery of humanitarian aid donated by private citizens. Among the most important initiatives undertaken by the Member States, Poland, a country usually unwilling to host refugees, has immediately set up nine reception points to welcome civilians from Ukraine.
Latvia, on its side, has established psycho-emotional support services for refugee children and their families. Whereas Denmark is supporting Ukrainian humanitarian efforts through substantial donations to the International Red Cross, to the Danish Emergency Aid Fund and to NGOs operating in the area, for a total amount of about €28 million.
Stand Up for Ukraine: a global campaign to help Ukraine
Among all the initiatives that have been launched to support Ukraine, both at national and European level, the “Stand Up for Ukraine” campaign stands out.
This campaign includes a global social media rally and a pledging event[3], aiming at mobilizing funds to address the crisis in Ukraine and help people fleeing the Russian invasion.
The campaign has raised €9.1 billion, including €1 billion from the European Commission. Moreover, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has announced that it will add €1 billion in loans to cover the needs of Ukrainian refugees.
Is it enough?
Known for slow foreign policy decision-making, often jeopardized by cumbersome procedures and internal divisions, it seems that this time all the 27 member States of the EU have managed to stick together and react quickly to the emergency.
The support and mobilisation in favour of Ukraine under the economic, humanitarian, and military point of view has no precedents in the history of the EU.
However, as Russian troops keep raging in Ukraine, Kyiv is still asking for greater support from Western allies, especially on the military side.
[1] the EPF total budget is of €5.69 billion.
[2] 27 member States together with Norway and Turkey
[3] Taking place on April 8th and 9th 2022 respectively.
