Ivan Nagornyak, PhD in political science, expert of the EU project “Association4U” (Ukraine)
The European Commission has adopted a proposal for a COVID-19 macro-financial assistance package for its Eastern neighborhood partners to help the countries limit the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.
As part of its global response to the coronavirus outbreak, the European Commission is mobilizing an emergency support package for Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine of up to €80 million for immediate needs and up to €883 million for the short and medium term to support the social and economic recovery of the region. StrategEast has interviewed leading experts from Eastern Partnership countries to comment on the implication of EU support measures in each country. Here are the answers from the expert on Ukraine.
How did the pandemic influence the relations between your country and the EU?
From the very beginning of the outbreak, the EU has declared that its partners will be not left alone with this crisis.
In March the EU allocated the first package of support for Ukraine (EUR 80 million). Overall, under different regional and bilateral programs, the EU support to Ukraine’s coronavirus response has reached up to EUR 190 million, and also EUR 13 million of humanitarian aid to the people who are most affected by the crisis, especially in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Besides that, the EU has approved a EUR 500 million loan to Ukraine as part of its fourth macro-financial assistance (MFA) program to support its financial situation, so Ukraine will be able to overcome peak payments on its foreign loans.
All this has shown, that the EU is a reliable partner for Ukraine, ready to help it carry its burden and fight the fight with a crisis.
Of course, COVID-19 has influenced the type and frequency of the bilateral dialogue between the EU and Ukraine. For example, the visit of the EU High Representative Joseph Borrell was postponed. Ukraine expected this visit because this was to be the High Representative’s first visit to the Eastern Partnership countries and to the contact line in Donbas, which could be a great diplomatic signal that the EU stands with Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.
But there is also a place for a good story about bilateral dialogue. The EU has invited Ukraine to join the Health Security Committee as an observer, where the EU and its Member States consult each other on coordinating responses on serious cross-border threats to health. Ukrainian doctors and scientists are actively working with their counterparts in the EU on the COVID-19 response.
Do you consider this kind of support sufficient?
COVID-19 outbreak has become a significant challenge for Ukraine`s economy and state institutions, especially in the health care system. The results of the quarantine measures showed that Ukraine is dealing quite well when we will look at the numbers of infected people.
On another hand, as a result of the outbreak, different experts estimate that decline in GDP will reach 5-15%. And there is a quite concern, that without support from its main partners like EU, Ukraine will have to go through a tough time this fall. That`s why we should not exclude that Ukraine will need more assistance from the EU.
The biggest damage COVID-19 has brought for Ukrainian SMEs, that is why the EU could help them with widening its EU4Business program that provides SMEs with access to profitable loans.
What kind of EU programs would best help your country prevent the dramatic spread of COVID-19 and reduce the impacts of the outbreak – health, educational, technical, business support programs, etc.?
The EU support package includes a mix of all the above mentioned kind of programs. This is an optimal instrument to provide comprehensive aid for the people and organizations who are in need.
What is inevitable, is that attention to the health care programs and their support from the EU and Ukraine will increase to prevent other outbreaks. The EU is already working closely with the WHO to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Ukraine. Perhaps the EU and other international partners will need to improve the coordination of their aid in the cause of a pandemic so that aid reaches all regions of the country.
As a situation in the Donbas remains quite unstable, the EU and Ukraine’s authorities will need active cooperation to prevent an outbreak of a pandemic in the region when checkpoints will be reopened on the contact line.
