Members of the Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into the EU held a meeting with the delegation of JASPERS — the advisory programme of the European Investment Bank and the European Commission. Since 2022, JASPERS has been supporting the development of Ukraine’s transport infrastructure, assisting in the preparation of strategies for integrating the Ukrainian and Moldovan railway systems into the EU, and expanding border crossing capacities to reduce waiting times. JASPERS representatives joined the Committee’s field meeting, which took place on June 30 — July 1 of this year in Vinnytsia.

During the meeting at the Committee, participants discussed opportunities, challenges, and necessary steps for effectively mobilising funding from the EU’s upcoming long-term budget for 2028–2034 in support of Ukraine. As an EU candidate country, Ukraine will gain access to a wide range of financing instruments. At the same time, it will compete with other candidate states and EU member countries for resources. Therefore, high-quality, well-prepared projects are essential for successful use of such funding. The JASPERS programme expressed readiness to provide technical assistance and advice at all stages of project implementation — from idea design to execution. Special attention was paid to border infrastructure, logistics, and transport corridors, which are key to Ukraine’s economic integration into the EU.

The need to strengthen the capacity of state institutions, in particular in the field of strategic planning, project management and interdepartmental coordination, was also discussed.
Effective project implementation and use of funds depend directly on this capacity. The JASPERS team confirmed its readiness to support the development of such long-term strategies.

The sides also touched upon the potential revitalisation of the Three Seas Initiative as a platform for regional cooperation and the development of infrastructure connectivity.