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European Peace Fund allocates 31 million euros to Ukraine for defense
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The EU has provided Ukraine with 31 million euros to strengthen its defense capabilities. The European Peace Fund has set a number of conditions.
Ukraine will receive another aid from the European Union – this time from the European Peace Fund, which was created quite recently. About what the funds are intended for, what are the conditions and what kind of fund it is, says Korrespondent.net.
Important news
“Important news from Brussels: the EU Council approved the decision to allocate 31 million euros to strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities within the framework of the recently created European Peace Fund. We highly appreciate this step, which confirms the strategic relations between Ukraine and the EU,” the minister wrote on his Twitter on December 2 Foreign Affairs Dmitry Kuleba.
He clarified that the package will include material and technical assistance for the development and capacity building of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the areas of medicine, engineering capabilities, demining activities, mobility and logistics, as well as cyber security.
The press service of the EU Council noted that this measure “will increase the overall resilience of Ukraine and help to strengthen the potential of the Ukrainian armed forces, including their ability to provide their services to the civilian population in crisis or emergency situations.”
The assistance is calculated for three years. It will be provided subject to the observance of the relevant norms of international law, in particular, in the field of human rights and international humanitarian law. “None of the measures provide for the supply of equipment designed for the use of lethal force,” the EU Council stressed.
Who else will get help
In addition to Ukraine, funds will be allocated to Georgia, Moldova and Mali (a state in West Africa). In the case of Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, the EU is also striving to increase the capacity and interoperability of local armed forces to participate in military missions and operations under the Common Security and Defense Policy. These measures were taken in response to inquiries sent by the respective countries to the Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
Georgia’s assistance will amount to 12.75 million euros. In particular, the country will be provided with non-lethal medical and engineering equipment and civilian mobility aids.
Moldova will receive 7 million euros. The EU will finance the provision of medical equipment for the Medical Service and equipment for the disposal of explosives for the engineer battalion.
The Republic of Mali has been allocated 24 million euros. The aim of the assistance is to strengthen the capacity of the Malian armed forces so that they can conduct military operations aimed at restoring territorial integrity and reducing the threat posed by terrorist groups. Such measures are expected to enhance the presence of government services in remote areas and lead to improved protection of civilians.
The EU Council notes that they are closely following the political situation in Mali and support the Malian people in strengthening peace and stability in the country. However, for this country, assistance will be carefully assessed and may be suspended if the conditions for proper implementation are not met.
New EU instrument
The European Peace Fund was established on March 22, 2021 with the aim of funding external EU actions with military or defense implications to prevent conflicts, preserve peace and strengthen international security and stability. In particular, through this department, the EU can finance actions aimed at strengthening the potential of third states, regional and international organizations in military and defense matters.
During its short activity, the European Peace Fund has already managed to provide assistance to the African Union in the amount of 130 million euros in July, and in November – to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Mozambique in the amount of 10 and 40 million euros, respectively.
The European Peace Fund is an extrabudgetary fund of around € 5 billion for the period 2021-2027. It is funded by contributions from EU member states.
For the first time, the Fund allowed the EU to complement its missions and operations under the Common Security and Defense Policy in host countries. Since 2004, EU participation in UNDP military missions and operations has been funded through the Athena mechanism. It has been replaced by the European Peace Facility, expanding the scope of overall spending, thereby enabling faster deployment and improved flexibility and predictability.
Prior to the establishment of the fund, the EU could only support African peacekeeping operations – operations led by the African Union or African regional organizations. This was done through the African Peace Fund. The creation of the European Peace Fund has eliminated this gap and expanded the geographic scope of EU intervention, as the EU can now contribute to funding military peacekeeping operations and assistance to its partners anywhere in the world.
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