Ukraine: A long-term partnership for reconstruction and European integration
2023 marked a new chapter in technical cooperation between Ukraine and France. In the context of Russia’s war of aggression and Ukraine’s candidature for EU membership, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE) has entrusted Expertise France with €14.5 million of financing to support the reconstruction of the country (mAIDan Ukraine Facility). In addition, in 2023, French President Emmanuel Macron appointed a Special Envoy for Ukraine’s Relief and the Reconstruction, Pierre Heilbronn.
In 2024, Expertise France is implementing 10 national projects and 3 regional projects, for both health and social protection and to strengthen the rule of law and the justice system. Local governance, decentralisation, and support to the private sector through innovation are also major focuses of the assistance. This support from France will be stepped up in the coming months with a strengthening of the teams on the ground, and the implementation of projects for the reconstruction of the country.
A longstanding presence to support the reform of Ukraine’s judicial system
The European Pravo-Justice programme has been supporting the Ukrainian authorities since 2017. It is contributing to strengthening the rule of law in Ukraine, and is also supporting the alignment of Ukraine’s judicial system with European practices and standards, through technical assistance to the Ukrainian Ministry of Justice, Supreme Court, High Council of Justice, and Office of the Prosecutor General. Through its action, Pravo-Justice aims to strengthen the capacities of judicial actors in terms of strategic planning, coordination, and the monitoring and evaluation of the reform. Its objective is also to strengthen the independence, effectiveness, quality, integrity and transparency of the sector.
Undermined by Russia’s military invasion, the rule of law and the action of the judicial, constitutional and penal system have been seriously hampered by the deteriorated security situation, the lack of financial and material resources, and the damage to infrastructure. To address these challenges, the European Union refocused the Pravo Justice II project in 2022.
Several instruments have been deployed to ensure an effective administration of justice in time of war and the rapid restoration of judicial services. For example, they involve modernising the judicial system through the use of digital technology and e-justice solutions. Expertise France has also played a role in helping to improve the monitoring of legal proceedings, and has contributed to establishing a framework for the investigation of war crimes in a context of international conflict, aligned with the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
Read Anna Adamska-Gallant’s interview: “Supporting Ukrainian Justice in the Face of War”
“In addition to a special court to judge crimes of aggression, we are going to continue to work with the International Criminal Court and international courts which are a competent forum for moving forward with this judicial cooperation, including for ordinary crimes. I am grateful for the assistance provided by France, through numerous expert missions to Bucha and Kharkiv, which have been invaluable for Ukraine’s investigation work,” said the Ukrainian Prosecutor, General Andriy Kostin, during the last edition of the International Cooperation Conference.
Strengthen the health system and combat the major pandemics
Before the war, Ukraine had achieved significant progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. However, the country remains one of the continental European countries most affected by these epidemics concentrated in key populations (such as drug users, sex workers, and men who have sex with men).
With the war, the health system, the resources allocated by the Ukrainian Government to the fight against HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, and these populations have been severely affected. However, despite now limited budgetary resources, Ukraine is actively addressing the many issues related to HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. It is supported in this by L’Initiative, to respond to the emergency and assist with the achievement of the objectives for 2030, in particular the eradication of tuberculosis. In late 2022, it launched a €5 million Ukraine Emergency Fund against HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis. Since 2023, this fund has been supporting five projects implemented by Ukrainian civil society organisations. These projects specifically focus on helping vulnerable people access treatment, while strengthening the capacities of organisations to cope with the consequences of the war through the introduction of online consultations and remote screening.
The Crisis and Support Centre (CDCS) of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE) has also entrusted Expertise France with €12 million of financing to support France’s response in the health sector, through the project Priority Assistance in Crisis Periods in Ukraine (APPUI Health). The overall objective is to contribute to improving access for Ukrainians to essential health services in a time of crisis.
The mAIDan initiative, a broad-based French mechanism to support long-term cooperation
Ukraine needs massive support and this is a major priority in the context of the ongoing war and the preparation of the reconstruction processes.
The mAIDan Ukraine programme is part of France’s support to Ukraine, coordinated by France’s Special Envoy for Ukraine’s Relief and the Reconstruction.
Expertise France has pre-identified sectors of operation, including health, mobility, urban development, digitalisation, and governance. Launched in September 2023, the mAIDan Facility has already provided crucial and concrete support, including a contribution to the selection of judges at the Constitutional Court of Ukraine through Pravo-Justice, the first condition for the opening of accession negotiations, and protective works on the roof of the Chernihiv Regional Theatre, which was badly damaged when it was hit by a Russian missile. This has enabled the main cultural venue in the region to resume its activities. Expertise France will also be assisting the local authorities in the Chernihiv region with the reconstruction and decentralisation processes. In addition, the agency will be supporting the rehabilitation of health infrastructure and the development of local innovation.
Expertise France's first technical mission to Izium hospital with Serhiy Dubrov, Deputy Minister of Health, and representatives of the Kharkiv region, Slobidskiy district and Izium town hall. The hospital rehabilitation project is at the heart of exchanges and a key element of the Kharkiv region's health map.