BERLIN: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has put his weight behind Ukraine’s EU membership at a business forum in Berlin focused on the reconstruction of Ukraine.
“As we rebuild Ukraine, let us do so with the goal of Ukraine as an EU member in mind,” Scholz said.
The transport infrastructure as well as the logistics and transport sector should be developed in such a way that the country will be connected to the EU without any problems.
“Whoever invests in the reconstruction of Ukraine today invests in a future EU member state that will be part of our community of law and our internal market,” said Scholz.
The chancellor pointed out that more than 2,000 German companies were active in Ukraine and were keen to return as soon as possible.
He appealed to the Ukrainian government to further improve the framework conditions for investment. He mentioned more rule of law, more transparency and an even more decisive fight against corruption.
Scholz also pledged further military assistance for Ukraine, especially to protect it from attacks from the air.
He was addressing the German-Ukrainian Business Forum that he opened together with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal in Berlin.
For his part, Shmyhal promised to create conditions for rapid investment.
“Ukraine needs European companies for the realisation of bold prospects,” he said, according to the official translation. Addressing the German government and people, he said, “You give us the opportunity to survive. We will be victorious in this war.”
Shmyhal put the cost of reconstruction at nearly $750 billion though he also highlighted Ukraine’s economic strengths, referring to its gas reserves, IT infrastructure and agriculture, among other strengths.
Meanwhile German Economy Minister Robert Habeck focused on the short-term challenges, identifying an acute need for winter aid in the form of generators, transformers and grid repairs. “This is an absolute priority,” he said.
The president of the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce, Peter Adrian, underlined that German business stands by Ukraine.
Alongside urgently needed emergency aid, long-term prospects are also necessary, he said. “We will not abandon Ukraine.” Earlier, German businesses in eastern Europe called for Germany to play a leading role in the swift reconstruction of Ukraine.
The deputy chairman of the Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations (Ostausschuss der Deutschen Wirtschaft), Hans-Ulrich Engel, said initial efforts should be “directed towards an efficient organisation of emergency aid, for example to rebuild destroyed infrastructure.”
After that the focus should be on “targeted measures and suitable framework conditions for contributions of the economy in Ukraine,” he said.
The post-war reconstruction of Ukraine will be a “generational mission” that requires a strategy on the level of the “Marshall Plan,” Scholz and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on Sunday. — dpa
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