European Union support to Ukraine should be a separate matter from the EU’s long-term budget, Germany’s Minister of Finance Christian Lindner told media Friday.
Speaking on the sidelines of the EU member states’ finance ministers meeting, Lindner insisted that it is “essential” for the union to support Ukraine, and that they “will continue” to find solutions to this matter just as they already have done in the past.
“We have to be careful in the multiannual financial framework that we do not overburden states, there is also a unanimity requirement and therefore priority must be given to reallocating funds, solutions must be found with the existing funds,” he said as quoted by media.
Spain’s Minister of Economy Nadia Calvino also expressed hope “that there will be unanimous agreement on the side of the ministers to continue to provide financial support to Ukraine,” according to one media outlet.
Lindner delivered this remark after 16 of the EU members pledged to facilitate Ukraine’s reconstruction by contributing about €400 million to a European Investment Bank’s fund.
Meanwhile, the economic situation in Lindner’s home country is far from sunshine and roses, as the policies of Olaf Scholz’s government and the decision to jump on the anti-Russian sanctions bandwagon ultimately led to a technical recession this year.
Annual inflation in Germany has jumped to 6.4 percent in June (compared to 6.1 percent in May) with the Bundesbank not expecting the inflation to drop back to 2 percent sooner than 2025.