The framework agreement signed on Thursday by the governments of Ukraine and France, providing for the supply of 370 rescue vehicles-car lifters for the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in the amount of up to EUR 300 million, provides for the provision of financing by the French side in the amount of EUR 255 million (85% of the contract amount). According to the text of the framework agreement at the disposal of the Interfax-Ukraine agency, the support will consist of a treasury loan of up to EUR 100 million provided by the French government represented by Natixis, and a bank loan of up to EUR 155 million, which will be provided by a bank or consortium banks from the EU. Bpifrans Assurance Export will act as a guarantor for it.
The agent bank will be Ukreximbank (Kyiv), the equipment supplier will be the French company Desautel SAS.
According to the agreement, financial support is provided for the purchase of goods and services from France, and also provides for the purchase of Ukrainian or foreign goods for the implementation of the contract in the amount of up to 50% of the amount of financial support.
The maturity of treasury and bank loans is no more than 10 years.
The terms of the agreement stipulate that in order to receive financing through a loan, the contract must be accepted for implementation no later than December 31, 2023, and the loan must be selected by the end of 2028.
The supply of goods and services from French suppliers, as well as the import and use of related goods for their production will be subject to VAT, other taxes and duties at a “zero” rate.
As reported, within the framework of the contract, the production of firefighting car lifts to provide extinguishing fires and rescue people from high-rise buildings will be partially concentrated in Ukraine. The first samples will be made in France.
According to Mykola Chechetkin, chairman of the State Emergency Service, at the present time, the service units have only 290 units of high-altitude lifts at their disposal, of which 260 have worked out their resource.
