EC President to attend Ukraine conference in Switzerland
A child plays outside a building destroyed during attacks in Irpin, Ukraine, on the outskirts of Kyiv, on May 30, 2022.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to attend the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Lugano, Switzerland, in July, according to media reports.
This content was published on
3 minutes
Le Temps/swissinfo.ch/sb
Português
pt
Presidente da CE participará da conferência da Ucrânia na Suíça
Le Temps said on Friday that the delegation of the European Union to Switzerland had confirmed that she would attend.
The meeting agenda and a participants’ list are currently taking shape and at this stage it is unclear which other top officials will make the journey to the Italian-speaking Swiss city.
Switzerland says 41 countries and 19 international organisations, including the World Bank and the United Nations, have received invitations to the conference. Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis envisions a high-level meeting with ministers, prime ministers and presidents. Security will be tight with air space restricted and police supported by around 1,600 Swiss soldiers.
More
More
Switzerland wants to play key role in rebuilding Ukraine
This content was published on
Switzerland is hosting a major international conference on reconstruction in Ukraine at the beginning of July.
Cassis has told Swiss public television SRF that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as well as the Prime Minister, Denys Shmyhal, have agreed to join, either in person or by video link. According to Le Temps, the chances of Zelensky travelling to Lugano are “minimal”.
Cassis also invited British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has not yet confirmed if he himself will attend or send a representative. French President Emmanuel Macron is also on the participants’ list, according to media reports.
During the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on May 24, von der Leyen made it clear that she wanted the EU to play a leading role in Ukraine’s reconstruction. “The European Union has a strategic interest in leading the reconstruction effort,” she said.
While the EU is already discussing where to find funds for reconstruction, Cassis has intentionally avoided talking about financing. Yet an appeal on the Ukraine Recovery Conference websiteExternal link to “mobilize funds through pledging to implement Ukraine’s Recovery and Development Plan” clearly has the backing of Switzerland and Ukraine.
More
More
WEF: Ukraine president calls for sanctions and reconstruction offers
This content was published on
Volodymyr Zelensky has called for “maximum” sanctions against Russia in a speech at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos.
Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Switzerland has given Ukraine CHF100 million in humanitarian aid, while the United States has approved CHF40 billion in military and economic aid, and the EU has given $9 billion. In May Ukraine estimated the cost of reconstruction at $600 billion.
Discussions have already begun on what shape this plan could take. President Zelensky has talked about a model whereby individual countries, cities or companies would sponsor cities or firms in Ukraine. He has also suggested using frozen Russian assets to do this, including Russian foreign exchange reserves that add up to hundreds of billions of dollars and assets seized from oligarchs.
What do you think Switzerland’s Alain Berset can bring to the Council of Europe?
The former interior minister is to become the first Swiss Secretary General of the Council of Europe – which issues should his five-year term focus on?
How is your country dealing with the return of stolen artifacts?
Western nations like Switzerland often have to deal with the process of recovering or returning looted artifacts which have been illegally imported. What’s the situation like in your country?
Norwegian zombie film wins main prize at Swiss festival NIFFF
This content was published on
More than 55,000 people celebrated the fantastic film at the International Fantastic Film Festival in Neuchâtel (NIFFF) - fewer than last year.
WEF: Ukraine president calls for sanctions and reconstruction offers
This content was published on
Volodymyr Zelensky has called for “maximum” sanctions against Russia in a speech at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos.
Swiss set aside CHF100 million in Ukraine development funding
This content was published on
The Ukrainian funds available to the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) for 2022 will not affect projects elsewhere, an official said on Thursday.
Switzerland should do more to freeze Russian assets
This content was published on
Switzerland is right to enforce EU sanctions on Russian individuals and entities, but must ensure the measures have real impact.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.