The EU will transfer €135M to Ukraine that had been intended for Russia and Belarus.

As reported by the European Commission, the €135M had been allocated to finance the Interreg NEXT programs with Russia and Belarus during 2021-2027, but it was decided to transfer the funds to Ukraine and Moldova. “Such a decision results from Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine. It will help strengthen cooperation between EU regions and local stakeholders with Ukrainian and Moldovan partners,” the European Commission commented on the decision.

Ukraine and Moldova will direct these funds to develop cross-border transport connections, medical services, educational and research projects, social integration schemes, and strengthen the institutional capacity of state authorities.

Previously, the European Commission suspended cooperation with Russia and Belarus in Interreg programs and decided to redistribute €26M to support cooperation programs with Ukraine and Moldova. The new decision redistributes the remaining funding from the 2021-2027 period in the same way.