The Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine, led by Minister Oleksii Sobolev, met with Matteo Rivellini, Director of the European Investment Bank (EIB) Public Sector Lending Department for the Eastern Partnership, and Kristina Mikulova, Head of the EIB Representation in Ukraine.

The meeting focused on the Ministry’s priorities, private sector financing through the Ukraine Investment Framework, support for Naftogaz and the Ukraine Fund, as well as joint projects in the fields of environment, water resources, and irrigation.

“Our partnership with the European Investment Bank is of strategic importance. We highly value EIB’s comprehensive support – both in public sector projects and in future initiatives, including the flagship direct investment fund. Equally important is EIB’s assistance in Ukraine’s recovery, which opens the way to expanding financial instruments, attracting new partnerships, and strengthening the institutional capacity of the Ministry,” – said Oleksii Sobolev, Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine.

During the meeting, the Minister presented a new team and strategic priorities of the Mineconomy. The participants discussed the €300 million loan for Naftogaz and the possibility of increasing the company’s debt limit.

The meeting also covered financing mechanisms for public investments in Ukraine under the Ukraine Investment Framework (UIF). The call for applications under UIF has already closed, and processing is now underway.

Minister Sobolev thanked the EIB for its support in establishing the European Flagship Fund for the Reconstruction of Ukraine and emphasized the importance of continued cooperation.

Other topics discussed included:

– public investment project preparation programs with international partners (PPU and PPF);

– cooperation in the framework of public investment management reform for projects in the fields of environment, water resources, and irrigation, including the example of Snihurivka in Mykolaiv region, where PPF technical assistance can help develop irrigation projects;

– support for projects in the field of critical minerals and geological exploration.

The parties also discussed the Minister’s participation in the ReBuild Ukraine Forum in November in Warsaw, the German-Ukrainian Business Forum in Berlin in December, as well as a number of other upcoming events.