Statement by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal at Government session

Dear colleagues, fellow Ukrainians!

We are starting a regular meeting of the Government of Ukraine.

Yesterday, the European Council extended the “economic visa-free regime” for another year. This means that Ukrainian entrepreneurs will continue to export their goods to the EU without customs duties, quotas or tariffs. This is a solid economic foundation for our unity.

The EU is a key trading partner for Ukraine. The European market accounts for more than 63% of our exports. Last year, we imported almost USD 28 billion worth of goods to the EU countries, which is 4% more than before the full-scale war.

This week, we also received EUR 1.5 billion in macro-financial assistance from the EU. These are resources for priority budget expenditures, in particular for salaries and pensions.

The IMF mission has recently started a review of the Extended Fund Facility programme. The aim is to bring it in line with economic and financial realities. I would like to remind you that the programme is designed for 4 years and totals USD 15.6 billion, of which the first tranche of USD 2.7 billion has already been transferred to the state budget.

We are sincerely grateful to our partners for their solidarity. We are stronger together, we will win together.

As for the agenda of today’s meeting. We are improving the mechanism for using funds from the Destroyed Property and Infrastructure Restoration Fund. We are amending the Procedure for the use of funds raised under President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s United24 initiative. In particular, we provide for the possibility of transferring resources to another key spending unit. And most importantly, we oblige the spending units and the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development to publish monthly reports on revenues and expenditures on the website. Everything should be as transparent as possible so that benefactors and donors from around the world can understand how their donations are helping Ukraine.

Another decision of the Government today concerns the previously announced reform of medical and social expertise. We approve the corresponding 12-point action plan for the current year. The MSEC system will be fast, inclusive and transparent. It is about establishing disability on the basis of common principles, accessibility of services in the medical, rehabilitation, social and educational spheres, and ease of obtaining them. We are taking the first important step towards this goal.

In parallel, we are moving forward with the reform of military medical commissions. We have already expanded their network and started digitalisation. By the end of May, electronic queuing will be implemented in all military medical institutions where the military medical commissions have been established. “Live” queues and bureaucracy should disappear once and for all.

One of the Government’s strategic tasks is to maximise the accumulation and efficient storage of reserves, both in times of war and in the long term.

In particular, energy resources. Today, we are approving a list of underground facilities where accumulated oil, gas and other substances and materials will be stored. This will allow us to create and maintain reliable storage facilities that are inaccessible to the enemy and other threats.

Another decision is to transform eleven organisations of the State Reserve Agency into state-owned enterprises. This is the first step towards their modernisation. Modernised storage facilities will help Ukraine create strategic reserves for decades to come.

We are working in a coordinated and efficient manner, bringing our common victory closer.

Thank you for your attention! Glory to Ukraine!