Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Hungary did not veto EU macro-financial assistance to Ukraine and that Budapest is ready to provide financial assistance to Ukraine on a bilateral basis.
“Today’s news was all about Hungary vetoing financial assistance to Ukraine. This is fake news. Hungary is ready to provide financial assistance to Ukraine on a bilateral basis. No veto, no blackmailing,” he said in Twitter.
At the same time, Orbán said “we do want to convince the EU member states that common EU debt is not the solution.”
“We envision a different future for Europe. One built on strong member states, instead of huge piles of common debt,” he said.
Three bulkers loaded with wheat, corn and sunflower oil departed from Ukrainian ports on Tuesday, the Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) said.
“The Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) reports that three vessels left Ukrainian ports today [December 6] carrying a total of 91,050 metric tonnes of grain and other food products under the Black Sea Grain Initiative,” the JCC said.
MV Sugar will deliver 37,500 tonnes of sunflower oil to India, MV Alexandros III will transport 31,050 tonnes of corn to Spain, and MV Moayad Y loaded with 22,500 tonnes of wheat is destined for Turkey.
Six ships transited the maritime humanitarian corridor on December 6 on their way to Ukrainian ports.
“As of 6 December, the total tonnage of grain and other foodstuffs exported from the three Ukrainian ports is 13,136,453 metric tonnes. A total of 1,057 voyages (529 inbound and 528 outbound) have been enabled so far,” the JCC said.
State Service for transport security (“Ukrtransbezopasnost”) December 12, 2022 will begin the full launch of the electronic queue “єCherga” at the checkpoint “Yagodin – Dorohusk”.
As noted in a message in the telegram channel “Ukrtranssbezopasnost” on Tuesday, testing of the electronic queue at the border crossing “Yagodin – Dorohusk” has been successfully completed, also all comments from carriers have been taken into account.
According to the department, from December 12, the passage of cars at “Yagodin” will be exclusively by appointment in the electronic queue.
Also on December 12, inspectors of “Ukrtranssbeksosti” will help drivers who stand in “live” queue in front of the checkpoint “Yagodin – Dorogusk” to register on the site of electronic queue.
The “Become in Queue” button on the website will be activated after the last car from the live queue is entered into the digital queue.
All applications submitted during the test period of the site will be canceled.
The e-queue project is implemented by the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine in cooperation with the Ministry of Digital Transformation, the State Transport Security Service, Ukravtodor, and the State Customs and Border Guard Service of Ukraine with the support of the USAID / UK Aid Transparency and Accountability in Public Administration and Services/TAPAS project.
The European Commission (EC) approved on Tuesday the Horizon Europe work program for 2023-2024 to allocate about 13.5 billion euros to support researchers and innovators in Europe.
It is about finding “breakthrough solutions to environmental, energy, digital and geopolitical problems.”
“As part of the broader €95.5 billion EU Horizon Europe research and innovation program, funding for 2023-2024 will support the EU in achieving its climate goals, building resilience and developing basic digital technologies,” the European Commission said in a communiqué published in Brussels.
The document said it would also “consider targeted actions to support Ukraine, build economic resilience and promote sustainable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Brussels explained that the targeted assistance to Ukraine is in addition to the 70 million euros earmarked for special measures already initiated in 2022. The additional support foresees the enhancement of access of Ukrainian scientists to European research infrastructures, continuation of the assistance to Ukrainian medical scientists, assistance in the struggle against climate change and assistance in reconstruction of several Ukrainian cities with the participation of the EU mission on climate-neutral and “smart” cities.
The EC communiqué also notes that over 42% of the 2023-2024 work program budget, or €5.67 billion, is earmarked for climate change and digital transformation projects. Some 970 million euros will be invested “to accelerate the transition to clean energy in line with the European REPowerEU plan and increase Europe’s energy independence.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is negotiating with municipalities in the de-occupied territories and is ready to support them, EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
“Supporting municipalities is one of the key priorities of the bank’s support in Ukraine. We recently signed a technical cooperation agreement with the city of Mariupol to conduct a loss and needs assessment, which will form the basis of preparations for the reconstruction of the city. We are negotiating with other municipalities, including recently de-occupied territories, and are ready to support them,” she said.
So far, the EBRD is working with a total of 19 municipalities across the country.
“Right now our focus is liquidity financing, but where possible we also continue to support priority investments,” Reno-Basso reported.
The full text of EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso’s interview with Interfax-Ukraine will be published on the website.
On December 5, USAID launched the USAID/ENGAGE Note project, under which educational institutions, non-profit organizations, and self-employed individuals in Ukraine will receive 5000 modern laptops with licensed software.
ABOUT THE PROJECT.
The national project “SOPHIA Note” is the result of joint efforts of international donors, business, Ukrainian volunteers and government. The project is being implemented within the framework of the USAID Youth Program “Dreaming and Acting”, implemented by IREX in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine and the Ukrainian volunteer platform “SpilDiya”, as well as HP Inc. and Microsoft, which provided laptops and licensed software.
Applications for the first wave of the project started on December 5 and will last until December 15. The initiative is being implemented throughout Ukraine, except for the temporarily occupied territories.
The project aims to support Ukrainian youth in access to education, response services and self-realization during the war. The distribution of laptops will take place in close cooperation with educational institutions, organizations and foundations working with and for young people and engaged in important educational and social tasks for communities, helping vulnerable groups. The devices will also be provided to self-employed Ukrainians who really need them.
The main goal is to give Ukrainian youth the tools to solve problems at the local, regional and national levels, to promote youth initiatives.
WHO CAN APPLY AND HOW TO GET THE LAPTOP(S)?
The application can be submitted by:
– schools seeking to provide children who do not have equipment for learning;
– public organizations / charitable foundations / other educational and creative non-profit organizations and initiatives
– self-employed persons.
To participate in the first wave of the competition, you must submit an application by December 15 (inclusive). All details on the necessary steps and criteria can be found on the website of the volunteer association “SpivDia” spivdiia.org.ua/notebook
Applications will be processed from the first day of the project and will be checked by case managers of “SpivDia Note” as they are received. Priority will be given to applicants (including self-employed persons) who really need the laptop(s) to provide access to training, improve or create opportunities to provide response services for children and youth, as well as for the professional realization of young Ukrainians.
QUOTE.
Iryna Tuliakova, Founder and Executive Director of the “SpilDiya” Foundation.
“Since the first days of the full-scale war, SodDiya has been uniting volunteer, public, state initiatives and business to support Ukrainians. Today we are launching the “SpilDiya Note” project to support those who help others and want to increase their usefulness. I am grateful to our partners – USAID/ENGAGE, IREX, HP Inc. and Microsoft for their systematic support of young people and trust in the implementation of the program. Let’s work together for victory!” said Iryna Tuliakova, founder and CEO of the “SOPHIA” Foundation.
Mehri Drakman, Director of the program “Dreaming and Acting” / IREX.
“Young people are able to develop and implement effective solutions in response to the urgent needs of Ukrainian society. From the first days of the volunteer platform “SpilDiya” USAID “Dreaming and Acting” program has been actively supporting its development, and now we are implementing such a large-scale project as “SpilDiya Note”, using the mechanism developed by young people to provide humanitarian assistance, educational and social services to the civilian population”
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
USAID/ENGAGE is a 5-year program aimed at developing and supporting youth in Ukraine, creating an enabling environment in which young people will have the opportunity to realize their dreams, ideas and visions for the country’s development. Using a youth-centered approach – not for young people, but with young people – the program promotes youth innovation, entrepreneurship, increased participation in community decision-making and problem-solving at the national level, and strengthens the potential of Ukrainian youth to be a driving force for pluralism and respect for diversity. “Dreaming and Acting” engages young people in the development and implementation of projects and initiatives, and conducts research to inform youth policy and move towards effective and sustainable change.
