EU announces about 100 mln euros support for Ukraine
According to an European Commission press release, the commission had adopted a major set of measures, including a 97-million-euro program jointly funded by the EU, Germany and Poland to "strengthen governance and accountability at local, regional and central levels to better respond to the needs of the population (in Ukraine)." Moreover, the measures also included an additional support of 10 million euros funded by the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace, which will be allocated for the "restoration of governance, reconciliation and peace-building in the eastern part of Ukraine, most affected by war and displacement." "This new, significant funding - adopted on the eve of the EU-Ukraine Association Council - is a concrete example of the EU's continued and determined support for reforms in Ukraine," said European Commissioner for the European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn. The EU side held a meeting of the EU-Ukraine Association Council, which visiting Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk also attended. The EU's relations with Ukraine are governed by an Association Agreement. This Agreement, including a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA), was negotiated over the period 2007 to 2011 and initialed in 2012. In 2014, the EU and Ukraine signed the political provisions of the Association Agreement. According to the EU side, provisional application of the DCFTA part of the Agreement has been delayed until Jan. 1, 2016, "as part of the overall efforts towards a comprehensive peace process in Ukraine." Source: Xinhua