Ursula von der Leyen – 2022 Press Conference at International Expert Conference on the Recovery, Reconstruction and Modernisation of Ukraine
The press conference held by Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, in Berlin on 25 October 2022.
Good morning,
This is a very interesting conference. And thank you again, Chancellor, for enabling us to organise it together. It’s a pleasure, Denys, to have you here. It’s very important for us to approach the reconstruction of Ukraine in a structured way. And that is why this conference is so important in order to bring together – and learn from – the world’s very best experts on reconstruction on such a scale, which is a colossal task.
It’s pleased me greatly that we agree on so much at this conference. And, above all, on the three main themes. Firstly, the here and now: what is important in order to support Ukraine. Above all, there is a strong consensus that Ukraine now needs regular, grass-roots financial support. That means, quite simply, salaries for teachers, doctors, but also soldiers and police officers, for example, as well as the pensions that have to be paid – in other words, the absolute minimum. But things that are necessary. And that is why we, within the European Union, have been discussing – and will continue to discuss – how we can make our fair contribution to this. I know, Prime Minister, dear Denys, that it is very important for you that a reliable and stable financial contribution is possible from January onwards, so that Ukraine can be confident that it can bear the financial burdens of everyday life in these days of war.
Secondly, all of us here at the conference are of course aware that we cannot wait for this terrible war to be over to begin the reconstruction. Some of it has to start right now. We call it ‘rehabilitation’ because we can see that President Putin is specifically targeting civilian infrastructure in order to paralyse Ukraine and terrorise its people. We will not let that happen. So we are also looking at what can already be repaired, schools for example. Many schools have been so devastated that the pupils have had to be moved far away. So we are providing school buses, for example – very practical things. We are also providing support and funding to repair the energy infrastructure that Russia is targeting with its bombs, and support for the winter too, for example, creating accommodation for people who have lost their belongings, their home and a roof over their head.
Then the third big task is indeed to rebuild. The aim of this conference is above all to shed light on what the best structure is for getting as much as possible into this platform, how to organise the platform to ensure that it is reliable and predictable and that the funding is used well and properly. And lastly to decide which step we need to take first and where, and then to build on that for the further recovery.
It is heartening to see the broad consensus we have reached, because the fact is that we need everyone on board. This is a huge task. And the right approach is to invite all friends of Ukraine. Because we all know that the brave people of Ukraine are fighting not only for freedom and independence and the integrity of their country, but also for our values. They are fighting for compliance with international rules. They are fighting to ensure that the UN Charter is observed. In other words, they are fighting for all of us. And so the least we can do is to stand by them and support them for as long as necessary.
