The European Investment Bank (EIB) will provide advisory support to Ukraine to help develop and prepare key infrastructure projects under the Ukraine FIRST initiative. This programme, jointly developed with the European Commission and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), aims to turn large-scale infrastructure plans into fully prepared, finance-ready projects that can be implemented efficiently as part of Ukraine’s recovery and EU integration efforts.
The cooperation agreement was signed in Kyiv between the EIB and the Government of Ukraine, represented by the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture. It establishes a framework for collaboration on investment project preparation across critical sectors such as roads, energy, and railways, supporting Ukraine’s long-term reconstruction and alignment with European Union standards.
The initiative focuses on improving project readiness through technical assistance, including feasibility studies, environmental assessments, and engineering design. It aims to address the challenge of ensuring high-quality, investment-ready projects, not just availability of funding, to accelerate Ukraine’s recovery and infrastructure development at national, regional, and local levels.
Initial advisory work will focus on the M15 highway in southern Ukraine, which connects Odesa to the Romanian border. This project is expected to improve transport connectivity, strengthen access to Danube ports, and enhance trade links with the European Union, making it a key priority for regional development.
The agreement also allows for future support to additional projects identified through Ukraine’s Single Project Pipeline, including potential investments in energy and railway infrastructure. Since 2022, the EIB has significantly increased its support for Ukraine, providing over €4 billion in financing and continuing to work closely with EU institutions and international partners to support the country’s resilience, reconstruction, and modernisation.
