ISTANBUL
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal welcomed on Wednesday the European Commission’s new €2 trillion ($2.3 trillion) budget proposal for 2028 - 2034, praising the inclusion of €100 billion for Ukraine’s recovery, resilience and EU membership efforts.
Shmyhal called the proposal a “strategic investment in Europe’s future,” and expressed gratitude to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for her “leadership, foresight, and unwavering support.”
“We count on Ukraine remaining a key priority,” he wrote on X, highlighting the dedicated military support Ukraine would receive through the European Peace Facility.
That was after von der Leyen unveiled the ambitious €2 trillion blueprint in Brussels as “a budget for a new era that matches Europe’s ambition.”
The plan, which needs to be negotiated with the European Parliament and member states, includes €200 billion for external action, half of which is earmarked for Ukraine.
Von der Leyen emphasized that all funds would be conditional on adherence to the rule of law, in what she called a necessary safeguard to ensure “responsible spending and full accountability.”
The proposed budget, officially known as the Multiannual Financial Framework, restructures EU funding around three key pillars: social and cohesion policy, competitiveness and external action.
If adopted, it would mark the largest and most flexible EU budget to date, with new revenue sources, including potential taxes on electric waste, tobacco and corporate profits.