European Parliament resolution of 15 June 2023 on the sustainable reconstruction and integration of Ukraine into the Euro-Atlantic community (2023/2739(RSP))
Date: 2023-06-15
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: EU aid, EU candidate countries, NATO, Russo-Ukrainian issue, Ukraine, accession to the European Union, cooperation policy, economic reconstruction, economic recovery, national sovereignty, war








C_202400490EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
Series C













C/2024/490


23.1.2024






P9_TA(2023)0247
Sustainable reconstruction and integration of Ukraine into the Euro-Atlantic community
European Parliament resolution of 15 June 2023 on the sustainable reconstruction and integration of Ukraine into the Euro-Atlantic community (2023/2739(RSP))
(C/2024/490)



The European Parliament,






—


having regard to its previous resolutions on Ukraine, in particular since the escalation of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022,










—


having regard to the Association Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and Ukraine, of the other part (1) and to the accompanying Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area between the European Union and Ukraine, signed in 2014,










—


having regard to the application for EU membership by Ukraine on 28 February 2022, and to the consequent granting of candidate status by the European Council on 23 June 2022,










—


having regard to the joint statement following the 24th EU-Ukraine Summit of 3 February 2023 in Kyiv,










—


having regard to the NATO Bucharest summit declaration of 3 April 2008,










—


having regard to the G7 Leaders’ Statement of 27 June 2022 on support for Ukraine and to the latest G7 Leaders’ Statement of 19 May 2023,










—


having regard to the statement by Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell and the Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič of 6 June 2023 on the destruction of the Kakhovka dam,










—


having regard to the outcome document of the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC2022) held in Lugano from 4 to 5 July 2022 and to the upcoming URC2023 in London from 21 to 22 June 2023,










—


having regard to the outcome of the International Expert Conference on the Recovery, Reconstruction and Modernisation of Ukraine, held in Berlin on 25 October 2022,










—


having regard to Rule 132(2) and (4) of its Rules of Procedure,










A.


whereas since 24 February 2022, when Russia re-launched its unprovoked, unjustified and illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, the geopolitical situation in Europe has fundamentally changed; whereas this war of aggression constitutes a blatant and flagrant violation of the UN Charter and of the fundamental principles of international law; whereas the crimes committed by Russia against Ukraine, which include the crime of aggression, war crimes and crimes against humanity that may amount to genocide, require the full accountability of government officials, military leaders, media propagandists and other perpetrators, in line with international law; whereas Ukraine and its citizens have been determined in their resistance against Russia’s war of aggression and have successfully defended their country, albeit with a high cost in terms of civilian and military casualties, destroyed civilian and critical infrastructure and the destruction of the natural environment and cultural heritage sites; whereas a third of the Ukrainian population have fled their homes and the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) is estimated to have decreased by at least one third in 2022; whereas Russia’s actions in Ukraine over the past 16 months continue to threaten peace and security in Europe and worldwide;










B.


whereas Ukraine, as an independent and sovereign country, possesses the fundamental right to determine its own future; whereas this includes the freedom to choose its alliances, to establish its own policies and to pursue its national interests in line with the will of its people; whereas a strong, stable and independent Ukraine is vital for the stability of the Euro-Atlantic area and crucial for fostering European and global peace and stability, and upholding the principles of democracy and international law;










C.


whereas Ukraine is a candidate country for EU membership and has received massive support from the EU in all areas; whereas Ukraine has made tangible progress in advancing crucial reforms and demonstrates a clear commitment to EU and NATO integration; whereas in October 2023, the Commission will submit a report on Ukraine’s progress in implementing the seven recommendations indicated in the Commission opinion of 17 June 2022 on the country’s application for EU membership; whereas the European Council is expected to decide on Ukraine’s preparedness for EU membership and further steps on its European path at its meeting in December 2023;










D.


whereas the EU and its Member States, together with international partners and NATO allies, have been providing substantial military support to assist Ukraine in exercising its legitimate right to self-defence against Russia’s war of aggression;










E.


whereas, in the NATO Bucharest summit declaration, the allies welcomed Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations and agreed that it would become a NATO member; whereas every round of NATO enlargement has followed the principle that it should bring additional security to the existing members; whereas the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius in July 2023 will have to address the question of how to follow up on the statement of support for Ukraine’s membership issued in Bucharest in 2008;










F.


whereas threats to international peace will greatly increase if Ukraine is not victorious, as this would irreparably damage the very foundation of international order while emboldening hostile autocracies throughout the world to replicate Russia’s imperialistic behaviour and conduct similar acts of aggression;










G.


whereas the Kakhovka dam, located on the Dnipro river in the Russian-occupied part of southern Ukraine, was deliberately destroyed in an act of terrorism on 6 June 2023; whereas the blast resulted in a massive breach in the dam, with water flooding downstream in the direction of Kherson; whereas the breach in the dam caused several deaths, forced the evacuation of the local civilian population, destroyed infrastructure, homes and wildlife, and led to water being contaminated with industrial chemicals and oil; whereas Ukraine has estimated that tens of thousands of people remain stranded in the affected area and hundreds of thousands have been left without access to safe drinking water; whereas landmines have been dislodged by the flooding, prompting serious safety concerns; whereas tens of thousands of hectares of agricultural land have been damaged and the draining of the Kakhovka Reservoir will leave 584 000 hectares of agricultural land unirrigated; whereas the vast reservoir provided cooling water for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (NPP) and the decrease in water levels poses an additional threat to it;










H.


whereas the second Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment by the Government of Ukraine, the World Bank Group, the Commission and the United Nations, published on 23 March 2023, estimates that the cost of reconstruction and recovery in Ukraine has grown to at least EUR 383 billion; whereas this figure is to increase further as more infrastructure is damaged or destroyed, as exemplified by the recent destruction of the Kakhovka dam; whereas the Multi-agency Donor Coordination Platform for Ukraine was launched on 26 January 2023, bringing together high-level officials from Ukraine, the EU, G7 countries and international financial institutions such as the European Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank; whereas the platform is intended to act as a catalyst, for mobilising the international commitments required to respond to Ukraine’s needs;













1.


Reiterates its unwavering solidarity with and pays tribute to the brave people and leaders of Ukraine, who are courageously defending their country’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity;












2.


Reiterates its condemnation, in the strongest terms, of Russia’s unprovoked, illegal and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine and of the involvement of the regime in Belarus; calls on Russia to immediately terminate all military activities in Ukraine and to completely and unconditionally withdraw all forces, proxies and military equipment from the entire internationally recognised territory of Ukraine, to end its forced deportations of Ukrainian civilians and to release all detained and deported Ukrainians, particularly children;












3.


Reaffirms its determination to continue supporting Ukraine until the full restoration and control of its internationally recognised borders and throughout the process of Ukraine’s sustainable recovery and reconstruction; acknowledges the resilience and determination demonstrated by the Ukrainian people in their pursuit of democratic values, reform efforts and aspirations for integration into the Euro-Atlantic community of nations;












4.


Condemns in the strongest possible terms the destruction by Russia of the Kakhovka dam on 6 June 2023, which brought about extensive flooding, caused an environmental disaster and ecocide in Ukraine and constitutes a war crime; reiterates that all those responsible for such war crimes, including the destruction of the dam, will be held accountable in line with international law; welcomes the rapid activation of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism; calls on the Commission and the Member States to provide all the essential assistance required in the flooded area, in particular equipment and machinery for relief efforts, drinking water and food; expresses alarm that the destruction of the Kakhovka dam could also jeopardise the safety of the Zaporizhzhia NPP; supports the International Criminal Court investigation into the destruction of the Kakhovka dam;












5.


Expresses its continued concern about the situation at the Zaporizhzhia NPP, which is illegally occupied and controlled by the Russian Federation; demands that International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) personnel be granted immediate access to all facilities at the Zaporizhzhia NPP; supports efforts to maintain a continued IAEA presence at the Zaporizhzhia NPP; underlines the importance of reinforcing the international framework for the protection of nuclear facilities devoted to peaceful purposes, including in armed conflicts; reiterates its deep concern about the broader long-term environmental impact of the conflict; recalls and condemns Russia’s previous acts of ecocide against Ukraine’s flora and fauna, including the logging of Ukrainian forests, the mining of large areas and the poisoning of air and water resources;












6.


Underlines that the peace brought by Ukraine’s victory must be secured by integrating Ukraine into the EU and NATO; reiterates, in this context, its support for the European Council’s decision to grant EU candidate status to Ukraine; hopes for a positive recommendation from the Commission following the fulfilment of the seven steps set out in the Commission opinion on Ukraine’s EU membership application; calls on the Council and the Commission to set out a clear pathway for the start of the accession negotiations, based on a step-by-step approach, focusing on providing tangible benefits for Ukrainian society and citizens from the start of the process; urges the Commission and the Member States to continue to support Ukraine so that its EU accession negotiations can be opened this year and notes that this could be followed by an intergovernmental conference within the same time frame; reaffirms its commitment to Ukraine’s membership of the EU, which represents a geostrategic shift and investment in a united and strong Europe;












7.


Reiterates its call for an innovative, complementary and flexible interaction between the ongoing work on the implementation of the Association Agreement in force and the accession negotiation process, thus allowing for Ukraine’s gradual integration into the EU single market and sectoral programmes, including access to EU funds in the respective areas; urges the Member States to abstain from any unilateral actions that would limit Ukraine’s access to the EU single market;












8.


Underlines that the process of accession to the EU must take place in accordance with Article 49 of the Treaty on European Union, based on respect for the relevant procedures and conditional upon the fulfilment of the established criteria, in particular the Copenhagen criteria for EU membership, and remains a merit-based process that requires the adoption and implementation of relevant reforms, in particular in the areas of democracy, the rule of law, human rights, a market economy and the implementation of the EU acquis; urges Ukraine to prioritise strengthening the rule of law, continuing the reform of its judiciary and fighting corruption, as progress in these areas will determine not only its progress on the European path but also the success of its reconstruction and recovery; strongly believes that a firm, merit-based prospect of EU membership for Ukraine is in the Union’s own political, economic and security interests;












9.


Encourages the EU and its Member States to provide increased support and assistance to Ukraine on its path to EU accession, including in terms of technical expertise, capacity-building and the institutional reforms necessary to meet the membership criteria; underlines that the Union itself must undertake the reforms needed in view of future enlargements;












10.


Welcomes the decision of the Council of Europe summit of 17 May 2023 in Reykjavík to set up a register for damage caused by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which serves as one of the first steps towards an international compensation mechanism for victims of Russia’s war of aggression; calls on the remaining Council of Europe members to join the agreement as soon as possible; reiterates, in this context, its call on the EU institutions and Member States to ambitiously advance their work towards establishing a legal basis for the confiscation of Russian public assets for the purpose of financing Ukraine’s reconstruction and compensating the victims of Russia’s aggression; underlines its conviction that once the war ends, Russia must be obliged to pay the reparations imposed on it to ensure that it makes a substantial contribution to the reconstruction of Ukraine;












11.


Highlights the importance of linking Ukraine’s reconstruction with the country’s EU accession preparations and ongoing domestic reforms; reiterates that damaged infrastructure and industrial capacity should be rebuilt in accordance with the ‘build back better’ principle and the goals of the European Green Deal, with the aim of promoting a carbon-free and digital economy and transforming Ukraine into a modern European welfare state and market economy;












12.


Underscores the need to prioritise a comprehensive EU recovery package for Ukraine, which should be focused on the country’s immediate, medium- and long-term relief, reconstruction and recovery; calls for the recovery package to be supported by credible and adequate EU funding in line with the needs, and looks forward to the Commission’s proposals on the midterm revision of the current multiannual financial framework and on the financing of Ukrainian reconstruction efforts in the coming years through the Rebuild Ukraine facility, once it has been established;












13.


Acknowledges the work done by Ukraine, the EU, the G7, international financial institutions and other like-minded partners to develop a recovery and reconstruction plan for Ukraine; welcomes and supports the seven guiding principles of the Lugano Declaration in particular; calls on the Commission, together with the EU’s and Ukraine’s international partners, to convene another high-level conference dedicated to Ukraine’s reconstruction and recovery process, which would build on the results of the 2022 Lugano and Berlin international conferences and the upcoming London international conference, and would also contribute to more closely intertwining the reconstruction process with Ukraine’s European integration process; welcomes the EU’s intention to play a leading role, in particular through the Multi-agency Donor Coordination Platform agreed with Ukraine, the G7, international financial institutions and other key partners; underscores the need for the European Parliament to be involved as an observer; highlights the importance of good coordination and a proper division of labour between donors and Ukraine; underscores the need to ensure full Ukrainian ownership of the reconstruction process, with the close involvement of civil society organisations and local authorities; urges the EU, the Member States and international financial institutions to provide conditional grants rather than loans;












14.


Highlights that demining and the clearance of unexploded ordnance (UXO) are prerequisites for Ukraine’s reconstruction, including its agricultural production, which is vital for the country’s economy and for global food security; recalls that a large part of Ukraine’s territory is contaminated by mines and UXO; highlights the fact that the current demining and clearance efforts do not cover the demand for these activities; stresses that demining and the clearance of UXO need to be sped up in order to be able to provide assistance of the requisite magnitude to the parts of the country that have been most affected by the Russian aggression; highlights that these efforts will require comprehensive, long-term funding;












15.


Calls on the Ukrainian Government to continue to strengthen local self-government and to embed the success of the decentralisation reform in the overall architecture of Ukraine’s repair, recovery and reconstruction processes by, inter alia, giving local authorities a prominent role in decision-making about reconstruction projects; draws attention to the Association of Ukrainian Cities and the European Alliance of Cities and Regions for the Reconstruction of Ukraine, the latter of which was launched on 30 June 2022 as a vehicle to map local and regional needs in Ukraine;












16.


Expresses its conviction that Ukraine’s reconstruction and recovery process must be firmly based on the principles of social fairness and inclusion, gender equality, sustainability and green transformation, local ownership, transparency and accountability, and should be accompanied by effective mechanisms to monitor its implementation; underscores the importance of a transparent governance architecture, accountability and sound financial management; stresses the need to utilise environmental impact assessments for future reconstruction projects, particularly in protected sites, such as those in the Carpathian mountain range;












17.


Warns against using the future reconstruction efforts to amend legislation in such a way as to benefit certain vested interests at the expense of a level playing field and of transparency; calls on President Zelenskyy not to sign draft law 5655 on urban development activity;












18.


Underlines, in addition, the need to take into account the concerns, needs and expertise of internally displaced persons and refugees, as their reintegration into local communities will be crucial for strengthening Ukraine’s societal and institutional resilience and increasing its unity; recalls the looming challenge of addressing the suffering of victims and veterans, many of whom will have difficulty in fully integrating back into social life after the war is over, particularly those who were detained, tortured, raped or otherwise abused by the Russian occupying forces; reiterates that many of them will require long-term psychological and medical rehabilitation and reintegration assistance;












19.


Reiterates its position that representatives of local self-government and civil society in Ukraine must be actively involved in the recovery and reconstruction process and that this process must meet the highest standards of transparency and accountability; calls for particular attention to be given to the to the needs and expectations of young and vulnerable groups;












20.


Calls for the EU institutions and the Member States to maintain EU unity and to put increased pressure on Russia and its allies, including through further sanctions packages aimed at strategically weakening Russia’s war capacity; condemns the behaviour of the states, entities and individuals that help Russia to avoid the effects of EU sanctions; calls on the Commission and the Member States to develop a sanction circumvention prevention mechanism; calls on the Commission and the Member States to expand the sanctions to include a full ban, in all Member States, on the marketing and cutting of diamonds of Russian origin or re-exported by Russia, and to lower the price cap on Russian oil; reiterates its call for European companies to withdraw their operations from Russia; calls on the Member States to take particular measures to prevent advanced technology products that are being exported to non-EU countries from ending up in Russia; calls on the Member States to very strictly prosecute individuals or entities participating in the circumvention of EU sanctions; calls for the strengthening of restrictive measures against the regime in Belarus, which do not mirror the sanctions imposed on Russia despite numerous calls for them to do so, even though the regime in Belarus has given constant political, financial, operational and logistical support to Moscow in its aggression against Ukraine and has engaged in joint hybrid actions against the EU, such as the weaponisation of migration, in order to destabilise the EU and weaken support for Ukraine;












21.


Underlines that EU support goes far beyond the civilian sector and also encompasses far-reaching support in the military field; calls for the EU, the Member States and like-minded partners to enhance military cooperation with Ukraine, including through the provision of increased capabilities, training and capacity-building, in order to strengthen Ukraine’s defence capabilities to the level needed to liberate the internationally recognised territory of Ukraine and to deter further aggression; reiterates its support for these measures and for their substantial expansion and the need to make full use of the European Peace Facility in this respect;












22.


Underlines that by successfully halting the Russian aggression, the Ukrainian army has proven to be one of the most battle-hardened and experienced armies in the world; acknowledges and commends Ukraine’s significant contribution to the security of the Euro-Atlantic area and the defence of its values by resisting Russia’s war of aggression; recalls the risks involved in leaving Ukraine languishing in a security grey area that would invite Russia to sustain hostilities in the long run;












23.


Calls on the NATO allies to honour their commitment regarding Ukraine’s NATO membership and expects that the upcoming summits in Vilnius and Washington will pave the way for extending an invitation to Ukraine to join NATO and that the accession process will start after the war is over and be finalised as soon as possible; calls for the EU, the Member States, NATO allies and like-minded partners to work closely with Ukraine to develop a temporary framework for security guarantees, to be implemented immediately after the war, until full NATO membership is achieved; emphasises the fact that Ukraine’s integration into NATO and the EU would enhance regional and global security, promote stability and strengthen the bonds of cooperation and shared values between Ukraine and the Euro-Atlantic community;












24.


Calls on the Commission, the European External Action Service and the Member States to strengthen strategic communication and provide relevant information on the mutual benefits of and opportunities presented by enlargement both in Ukraine and in the Member States, in order to further increase support and improve understanding of the accession process; calls on the Commission, the European External Action Service and the Member States to improve the visibility of EU funding and its tangible results in Ukraine; insists that EU and Ukrainian civil society should play an active role in implementing these objectives;












25.


Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the President, Government and Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the NATO Secretary General and the President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, the President, Government and Parliament of the Russian Federation, the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.






(1)  
            OJ L 161, 29.5.2014, p. 3.


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/490/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)