Minister of Finance held a meeting with the head of the European Department mission of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Ivanna Vladkova Hollar

On September 21, 2021, the IMF mission began work to continue the first review of the joint Stand-By Program.

The meeting was attended by First Deputy Minister of Finance Denys Uliutin and Deputy Minister of Finance for European Integration Yuriy Draganchuk.

The parties discussed the progress in the implementation of structural "benchmarks" under the Cooperation Program and issues that remain, in particular, ensuring the independence of the National Bank and anti-corruption bodies.

"I welcome the launch of the IMF mission to continue our discussion on the first revision of the Program. The IMF is one of Ukraine's key partners in restoring the country's economy and ensuring macroeconomic stability. During the year we exerted every effort to achieve a positive result. I hope that during this mission we will be able to shortly resolve the issues that are still on the agenda, "Serhii Marchenko stressed.

The sides also tackled the importance of the adoption by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of a draft law 5600, which creates an additional resource for the 2022 budget.

The mission will continue its work in the coming weeks. The IMF representatives will hold a series of meetings with the executive authorities of Ukraine to assess the achievement of the Program's objectives. At the same time, further steps will be taken to ensure sustainable growth of the Ukrainian economy, to implement structural reforms and to overcome the consequences of the coronavirus crisis.

Following the IMF mission's work, the necessary documents are expected to be shaped for the first review of the joint Stand-By Program and for consideration by the IMF Board of Directors.

It will be noted that the Stand-By Program focuses on supporting macroeconomic and financial stability in the areas of fiscal, monetary, energy, anti-corruption policy and the financial sector. The IMF program offers opportunities for financial support from other international partners