Kyiv to receive partial payment from EU’s fourth Ukraine Facility tranche

Ukraine has completed 13 of 16 reform benchmarks required for its next payment under the EU’s Ukraine Facility program, European Commission spokesperson Guillaume Mercier said.

“This is a partial payment, as Ukraine has implemented 13 of the 16 reforms that were initially planned for this fourth payment. And this request is now being considered by the EU Council,” Mercier told reporters.

He emphasized that this does not constitute a delay in funding, noting that Ukraine still has a grace period to implement the remaining reforms.

“The European Commission has recognized 13 reforms as completed and recommends that the EU Council transfer €3.05 billion (about $3.33 billion) to Ukraine as the fourth tranche under the Ukraine Facility program,” Mercier said.

Under the terms of the program, Ukraine was expected to complete all 16 benchmarks by the end of March 2025. The three remaining reforms involve decentralization, revisions to legislation governing the Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA), and the procedure for selecting judges to the High Anti-Corruption Court.

The delays in these areas have created a risk of up to €1.5 billion (about $1.64 billion) in frozen EU funds.

Earlier, Member of the European Parliament Daniel Freund told Politico that some payments had been postponed due to a recent slowdown in Ukraine’s reform efforts.

The Ukraine Facility is a key EU financial assistance tool that provides up to €50 billion (about $54.5 billion) to Ukraine between 2024 and 2027. Of that total, €38.27 billion (about $41.8 billion) is allocated for budget support, €6.97 billion (about $7.6 billion) for the investment fund, and €4.76 billion (about $5.2 billion) for technical and administrative assistance.