Helsinki, 28 July 2023
On 28 July Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio assigned the task of drawing up a plan concerning Finland’s participation in the reconstruction of Ukraine.
The assignment is related to the implementation of the Government Programme, according to which the Government will prepare Finland a national plan for participating in Ukraine’s reconstruction in cooperation with business and industry and the Team Finland network.
The Department for Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs bears the main responsibility for drawing up the plan and coordinating with relevant parties from the central government and business life.
“We continue to provide Ukraine with our strong support against Russia’s aggression. At the same time, we are preparing to rebuild an independent and democratic Ukraine. This work requires close and systematic cooperation between different parties,” says Minister Ville Tavio.
In the first phase of drawing up the plan, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs will work closely with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment and the Ministry of Finance. The aim is to provide Finnish businesses with more comprehensive advisory services and to identify financing solutions to facilitate their participation in Ukraine’s reconstruction. The second phase involves the preparation of a long-term plan, including a review of the use of development cooperation appropriations.
Since the start of Russia’s war of aggression in February 2022, Finland has provided Ukraine with a total of EUR 1.7 billion in support. The support has been channelled through development cooperation, humanitarian aid, material assistance and defence material assistance.
Source – Finnish Government