On Tuesday 17th January, EU finance ministers convened for this year’s first Economic and Financial Affairs Council (Ecofin) meeting in Brussels. As chair of the Council, Sweden’s Minister for Finance Elisabeth Svantesson underlined during her presentation of the Presidency’s work programme that Sweden is taking over the Presidency at a time of great uncertainty.
The Council also received an update on Ukraine’s financial situation and the implementation of the Macro-Financial Assistance+ (MFA+) instrument to support Ukraine, adopted in December 2022.
“The Russian aggression against Ukraine will no doubt continue to shape our agenda. The immense suffering of the people of Ukraine will remain at the forefront of our minds as we work to address the many challenges our economy is facing,” said Ms Svantesson in her opening statement.
Update on the financial situation in Ukraine
In December 2022, the Council adopted a historic EUR 18 billion macro-financial assistance instrument to support Ukraine in 2023. During the meeting, the Commission gave an update on the financial situation in Ukraine and the implementation of the support package.
“Today, Ukraine will get the first EUR 3 billion out of the EUR 18 billion in financial support that we agreed on in December. This makes me very proud – it shows what we are able to achieve when the EU is strong and united”, said Ms Svantesson.
Continued support for Ukraine will be a top priority for the Swedish Presidency, in Ecofin and beyond.
Image: Obis, via Wikipedia.
