G. Skaistė: "By investing in the reconstruction of Ukraine today, we are strengthening the country's residents' hope and faith in the future"
“Lithuania is firmly committed to providing military and financial support to the extent necessary to achieve its victory and to support Ukraine in the EU integration process. At the same time, it is necessary to rebuild the country without waiting for the end of the war. Lithuania is already implementing various reconstruction projects in Ukraine and aims to encourage other international partners to do the same, thus strengthening the belief of Ukrainians in a safe and prosperous future," Minister of Finance Gintarė Skaistė stated while speaking at the European Banking and Finance Conference on Ukraine’s reconstruction.
“Ukraine’s strength is its people and their determination to fight the aggressor, so it is important not only to ensure sufficient military and budgetary support, but also to mitigate the negative social consequences of the war. Through the Lithuanian Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid Fund, we have so far allocated EUR 24 million to reconstruction projects in the education and energy sectors and rehabilitation of wounded soldiers. Together with international partners, we aim to help Ukrainians rebuild the country and build a prosperous, modern and secure state that is firmly on the path of European integration," she said.
At the initiative of Lithuania, rebuilding of the destroyed schools in Borodianka and Snihurivka is coming to an end, the kindergarten in Irpinė has already been rebuilt, and the electricity system in Mykolaiv has been modernised. The project “School of the Future in Ukraine” is also being carried out, the aim of which is to prepare a technical plan for reconstruction of the country’s schools with integrated bomb shelters, which will contribute to the faster restoration of the country’s school network.
One of the most important projects is the Government’s recently announced EUR 15 million programme to strengthen the provision of services related to the rehabilitation and reintegration of soldiers into civilian life, including the modernisation of rehabilitation centres in Lviv, Dnipro and Zhytomyr.
According to the Minister, Lithuania's contribution to rebuilding Ukraine is important, but looking to the future, the international community will have to mobilize much larger public and private sector funds. According to the World Bank, more than EUR 450 billion will be needed for the reconstruction of the country over the next decade, and for the most necessary reconstruction works this year alone – about EUR 14 billion.
"These are huge amounts, so we must immediately mobilize all possible financial sources, including the frozen assets of the russian central bank. Discussions between international partners give hope that together we will find appropriate solutions that will enable the use of frozen assets for Ukraine's needs. In this regard, Europe must not be afraid to take the lead," the Minister says.
Last updated: 16-05-2024
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