Ukraine’s Future EU Membership Will Strengthen Europe’s Competitiveness, Says European Council President

The new President of the European Council, António Costa, believes that Ukraine can play a positive role in addressing vulnerabilities in the European Union’s competitiveness.

Costa made this statement in an interview with Ukrinform.

Journalists asked Costa if Ukraine could help address vulnerabilities in Europe’s competitiveness highlighted in former European Central Bank President Mario Draghi's September report, including Ukraine’s potential as a future EU member, particularly in natural resources, agriculture, energy, advanced technologies, and defense.

“We can also add the factor of a highly skilled workforce to this. In all these areas, Ukraine’s contribution as an EU member state will indeed have a very positive impact on the overall competitiveness of the Union,“ Costa said.

Previously, on December 1, during a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, Costa announced an immediate allocation of €4.2 billion to support Ukraine’s budget by the end of 2024 and monthly disbursements of €1.5 billion starting in January 2025.