The European Parliament (EP) announced on Thursday that the Budget and Foreign Affairs Committees had “corrected and approved” a proposal to allocate EUR 50 billion for the restoration, reconstruction and modernization of Ukraine from 2024 to 2027.
The EP’s position was approved with 86 votes in favor, 6 against, and 2 abstentions.
The European Parliament’s communiqué points to the need for “urgent adoption (of the package) in accordance with the long-term review of the EU budget.”
“The proposed fund for Ukraine is part of the ongoing review of the EU’s long-term budget, which needs to be adjusted as it has been seriously depleted after the numerous crises that have occurred since 2021,” the EP said.
The package should also be integrated into next year’s annual budget, which will be negotiated in November, the document says.
One of the main demands of the MEPs is to use “assets of the Russian Federation or other legal or natural persons” of the Russian Federation for the restoration of Ukraine.
MEPs “strengthened the provisions on combating fraud, corruption, conflicts of interest and irregularities in the use of EU funds in Ukraine.”
It is stated that the full European Parliament will vote on this draft law at the plenary session of the European Parliament on October 16-19.
“Negotiations with member states can begin as soon as the Council (EU – IF-U) develops a common position,” the European Parliament said.
U.S. President Joe Biden in a phone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he expects the opportunity to visit Ukraine again and assured him of his support in reforming the country, Head of the President’s Office of Ukraine Andriy Yermak said.
“President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky held a telephone conversation with President of the United States of America Joe Biden. President Biden supports Ukraine in everything, and his team highly appreciates everything that President Zelensky does in reforming the country. Joe Biden said that he is waiting for the opportunity to visit Ukraine again and also remembered his speech in the Ukrainian parliament,” Yermak wrote on his Facebook page.
Earlier, President of Ukraine Zelensky, following the conversation with U.S. President Biden, said that he appreciates the support of the United States and intends to seriously reform the country.
The Parliamentary Committee of the Nation’s Health, Medical Assistance and Health Insurance recommended for consideration at the first reading the draft law on the public health system (No. 4142), which provides for the creation of a competent authority in the field of public health.
The committee made the corresponding decision at a meeting on Thursday.
Introducing the bill, Deputy Minister of Health, Chief Sanitary Doctor of Ukraine Viktor Liashko said that the bill provides for the creation of a single vertical of public health from the national to the local level, which will, in particular, be able to quickly respond to emergency events in the public health system, including responses to outbreaks of diseases, epidemics and accidents of various origins.
The structure of the proposed model provides for the creation of an authorized body in the field of public health at the national level.
“It can be created both from the so-called scratch and on the basis of existing structures with the status of a central executive body. This authorized body in the field of public health is subordinate to the Cabinet, and its activities are directed and coordinated by the Minister of Health. The head of the authorized body becomes and exercises powers of the chief state sanitary doctor of Ukraine,” said Liashko.
According to him, the bill provides that territorial departments of the authorized body will be created at the regional level, and the head of the territorial department will be the chief state sanitary doctor of the corresponding administrative territory.
In addition, the bill provides for the creation of a network of centers for the control and prevention of diseases, which will be formed on the basis of laboratory centers, as well as regional public health centers, which have begun to be created as part of the formation of the public health system.
Centers for control and prevention of deseases at the regional level will be subordinate to the territorial body of the authorized body in the field of public health.
The bill provides that the Center for Public Health will retain its functionality and expertise and will enter the new system as a state institution.
It is assumed that the financing of the new system will be carried out from the state budget provided for expenditures on state public health programs; it is also additionally provided for the possibility of attracting funds from local budgets allocated for financing local public health programs.
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President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky advocates the adoption of a law on inland waterway transport, which will allow the development of a cheap type of freight transportation and save Ukrainian highways.
During a conversation with media representatives in Kherson region, the president noted that now the state is investing billions of hryvnias in the repair and construction of highways, and then overloaded trucks move along them and destroy the roadbed.
“The country should have several routes of transportation. Water transport is one of the cheapest types of transportation,” Zelensky said.
According to the head of state, the draft law on water transport is under consideration in the profile committee of the Verkhovna Rada.
“I am sure that we will vote this law, and this type of transport, which we really need, will work. And we will develop shipping and transportation,” Zelensky stressed.
The adoption of the law will contribute to an increase in freight traffic of 35 million tonnes per year, saving roads and UAH 1 billion for road surface repairs over four years. The document, if adopted, will provide constant funding for safe river infrastructure, stimulate shipbuilding and the restoration of Ukrainian enterprises and jobs, and also open the admission of vessels under a foreign flag to the inland waterways of Ukraine, which will contribute to the development of international trade.
