The German chancellor and the president of the European Commission (EC) defended on Tuesday the creation of mechanisms for the reconstruction of Ukraine so that the country advances towards integration into the European Union.
In the opening speech of the international conference of experts for the reconstruction of Ukraine, convened by Germany as the country that holds the rotating presidency of the G7 and the president of the European Commission, Olaf Scholz, stressed that “this is not a conference of donors” , but something “more fundamental”.
This conference is about “developing structures and mechanisms” to facilitate and finance “continuous reconstruction,” so “what is at stake here is nothing less than the creation of a new Marshall Plan for the 21st century,” Scholz said, who spoke of a “generational task”.
Scholz specified that the goal is to discuss how funding for Ukraine’s economic recovery, reconstruction and modernization can be secured and maintained in the coming years and decades.
The foreign minister insisted on the need to think about the country that Ukraine could be, in addition to what it was and that needs to be rebuilt.
In this sense, Scholz spoke of “a more developed, sustainable and resilient Ukraine” and “an EU member with the corresponding legal framework and corresponding legal infrastructure”.
However, “at this turning point in Ukraine’s history, it is of great importance that Ukraine takes responsibility and actively acts for its transformation,” Scholz said.
Speaking of today’s conference, the German chancellor noted that now is the time to “bring together the best and brightest brains to share their ideas and recommendations on how to rebuild Ukraine.”
“We know from our own history that reconstruction is always possible and that it is never too early to start the task,” the German chancellor added.
On the other hand, he stated that “the best reconstruction is the reconstruction that is not necessary, because cities and power plants are protected from Russian bombs, drones and missiles.”
In this sense, he assured that Germany will continue to support Ukraine, also with regard to the supply of weapons and air defense systems.
The President of the European Commission (EC), Ursula von der Leyen, for her part, stressed the importance of ensuring that Ukraine “receives the support it needs at all times”, from recovery to long-term rehabilitation and reconstruction.
Ursula von der Leyen found the extent of the destruction in Ukraine surprising and called for rapid relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction, adding that Ukraine needs to ensure daily survival and be able to pay salaries and pensions.
“We need the right architecture, the right framework for support to be as broad and inclusive as possible,” the EC president said.
“(…) Now that Ukraine has been granted candidate status, “we must integrate reconstruction efforts into Ukraine’s path to the EU,” Von der Leyen said.
“The World Bank estimates the cost of the damage at €350 billion, this is certainly more than any single country or union can provide. We need everyone’s cooperation,” said Ursula von der Leyen.
“Every euro, dollar, pound and yen spent is an investment in Ukraine, but also an investment in democratic values around the world,” the EC official said.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, who delivered a video-streamed speech, called for support from the international community to enable the country to balance its budget next year.
“At this conference, we have to make a decision to close the hole in Ukraine’s budget deficit next year,” Zelensky said.
“It is a very large sum, 38,000 million dollars (38,500 million euros), (…) are the salaries of teachers, doctors, social benefits, pensions,” added Zelensky.
Source: TSF
