EIB-backed Ukraine Recovery Programme kicks off as critical infrastructure projects get underway

More than 100 cities and communities in Ukraine will have municipal infrastructure rebuilt under two EIB recovery programmes after the Ukrainian government allocated €161 million to local budgets. The allocation paves the way for Ukrainian cities to proceed with restoration efforts that include:

• 155 projects under the Ukraine Recovery Programme (URP), starting with an educational project in Vinnytsia where on-site construction is already underway
• 66 projects under the Ukraine Early Recovery Programme (UERP).

These initiatives, planned to be carried out in 2024-2025, aim to restore social infrastructure such as hospitals, housing, schools, water and waste facilities in liberated territories and areas close to the conflict zone, including the Kyiv, Odesa, Sumy, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia regions.

Oleksandr Kubrakov, Vice Prime Minister for the Restoration of Ukraine – Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine, said: "Under the initiative of the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the distribution of subsidies from the state budget to local budgets for 2024 for the EIB's two recovery programmes. This will enable communities to accelerate implementing recovery projects, including the restoration of educational and healthcare institutions, administrative service centres and essential public utilities. Despite the ongoing war, we must uplift our economy, launch our enterprises and rebuild critical infrastructure to ensure people's lives continue to move forward. We express our gratitude to the EIB and our European partners for their support in these recovery efforts."

Teresa Czerwińska, EIB Vice-President responsible for operations in Ukraine, said: "Supporting Ukraine is a top priority for the EIB. Despite daily missile strikes, civilians killed and injured, massive displacements, the Ukrainians remain determined to return to their lives pre-war. And EIB remains determined to support them. In a partnership with the Government of Ukraine and the European Commission, we have developed the recovery programmes, a well-functioning mechanism, that channels our funds to the communities of Ukraine that have suffered from the war and offers them the possibility to reconstruct hospitals, schools, kindergartens, housing, water facilities. In other words, it offers them the possibility to re-establish vital social services. We stand ready to develop this support further."

EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarína Mathernová said: "The EU's support for Ukraine is comprehensive, encompassing political, financial, economic, humanitarian, military, and diplomatic dimensions. Most importantly, it remains unwavering. We warmly welcome the progress of recovery programmes of the EIB. With the backing of EU grants, these programmes play a crucial role in ensuring that Ukrainian citizens continue to access essential services, including housing, hospitals, and water facilities, thereby maintaining their quality of life even in challenging times."