All articles tagged with #eu aid
A wildfire in the French Pyrenees near Perpignan forced the evacuation of more than 10,000 people from over a dozen towns as record heat and strong winds push the blaze across about 4,600 hectares; authorities warn winds could worsen and the EU will deploy aircraft to help, with Spain also contending with fires amid a continuing heatwave and near-40C temperatures in SW France, affecting events like the Tour de France.
The EU has agreed to provide Ukraine with 50 billion euros ($54 million) in aid to stabilize its war-ravaged economy, with the funds intended for areas such as paying state salaries and pensions, ensuring essential services, supporting the currency, and providing a safety net for foreign investments. The aid aims to help Ukraine recover from the economic impact of the conflict with Russia and set the country up for future EU membership. Meanwhile, Russia's economy has weathered Western sanctions better than expected, but some analysts predict potential tax rises after the upcoming presidential election.
Russia has launched dozens of drones across Ukraine, with Ukrainian air defense successfully shooting down most of them. This comes as Ukraine experiences its sixth air attack on Kyiv this month. In a separate incident, a Ukrainian councillor detonated two grenades at a village meeting, injuring up to 26 people. Meanwhile, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban has blocked a critical €50 billion EU financial aid package for Ukraine, raising doubts about Europe's support for Kyiv. Additionally, Ukraine has put the head of Russia's Orthodox church on its wanted list, accusing him of stoking the war. Russia and Ukraine have also exchanged drone attacks following the EU funding veto.
Poland's new Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, visited Brussels and secured the transfer of 5 billion euros from the EU's COVID recovery stimulus funds, which were previously frozen due to democratic concerns. Tusk aims to restore the rule of law in Poland and has plans to improve judicial independence by splitting the posts of the justice minister and the country's prosecutor general. To access further EU funds, Poland must make progress in restoring judicial independence. The first transfer of funds is part of an EU program to support energy transition and is not subject to the usual rule-of-law conditions. Poland has also requested an additional 7 billion euros from the EU.
Ukraine remains confident that it will secure a €50bn aid package from the EU, despite Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán vetoing the funding at a recent summit. The Ukrainian foreign ministry expects the necessary legal procedures to be completed in January, ensuring the aid is delivered as soon as possible. The funds will be used to modernize the state and accelerate its integration into the EU. Despite setbacks in the US, Ukraine received positive news as the EU opened accession talks with Kyiv. This unexpected agreement came after Orbán left the room, and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hailed it as a victory for the country's citizens.
Hungary has called for "progressive" aid from the EU to help move Ukraine's grain through central European countries whose farmers are having to compete with its cheaper imports. The European Commission said on Wednesday it would take emergency "preventive measures" for wheat, maize, sunflower seeds and rapeseed after some central European countries took unilateral steps to ban imports of food products from Ukraine.
Ukraine's President Zelenskyy visited areas affected by Russia's war, including Kherson and Donetsk, as a possible new phase of the conflict looms. Ukraine is receiving modern weapons and training from Western allies, while Russia has been digging in and making long-range attacks. Ukraine's ground forces commander hinted at a counteroffensive, as Russian forces are "exhausting themselves" in their push to take Bakhmut. The EU endorsed a plan to send Ukraine 1 million rounds of artillery ammunition and missiles if requested, while Finland delivered additional defense material worth $175 million. Bulgaria, a member of NATO and the EU, said it won't export weapons to Ukraine.