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1st LD Writethru: EU announces about 100 mln euros support for Ukraine

Xinhua, December 8, 2015 Adjust font size:

The European Union (EU) here on Monday announced more than 100 million euros for Ukraine to support the country's "reform" and "local governance."

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.

"Important parts of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement have been provisionally applied since November last year. Today, we looked at the progress that was made since the first meeting of this Council exactly one year ago, and the priorities for the period ahead," said Federica Mogherini, EU high representative for foreign affairs, after the council meeting on Monday in Brussels.

"The strong commitment of the Ukrainian authorities to reforms is impressive and we all agreed on that," she said, adding that the two sides also discussed the developments in eastern Ukraine and agreed on the need for the full implementation of the Minsk agreements by all sides.

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." Endite