Members of the European Parliament’s Committees on Foreign Affairs and Budgets held an exchange of views with Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos on the so-called Ukraine Facility, a new support mechanism through which the EU aims to assist Ukraine’s recovery, reconstruction, and modernization efforts. “We are speaking of rebuilding and modernizing Ukraine while the destruction is still ongoing. The risk is great: what is built today may already be in ruins tomorrow. People are dying. Soldiers and civilians alike, including women and children, are experiencing physical and psychological horrors that cause lifelong, even intergenerational trauma,” reminded Viktória Ferenc, MEP for Fidesz–KDNP.

“In solving a problem that affects society as a whole, the first and most important step must be to create peace. It is also essential that, until peace is achieved, the EU support sent to Ukraine is used to meet the real needs of a people who have endured so much hardship. Can you confirm that this principle will also apply in the case of the Ukraine Facility?” the MEP asked.

In her reply, Marta Kos acknowledged that too little attention is paid to the impact of the war on people, as discussions about Ukraine often focus on improving roads, infrastructure, energy, or money. She explained that the current support package has a specific component that also allows for assistance to be provided to people. However, she did not name any concrete Commission program that would address the mental health of the war-affected population.

The MEP of Transcarpathian origin also raised the issue of minority rights: “Among the conditions of financing is the respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to national minorities. Do you believe that everything is in order in this regard in Ukraine?”

The Commissioner stated that respect for human rights, minority rights, democracy, and press freedom all derive from Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union and are of key importance when discussing Ukraine. At the same time, it was surprising to hear her claim that Ukraine deserves praise for its willingness to take into account the requests made by Hungary concerning the rights of the approximately 150,000-strong Hungarian community, given that these rights have not yet been restored. “We will not tolerate any evasions when it comes to the rights of Hungarians in Transcarpathia. Ukraine must fully and unconditionally settle the protection of the rights of the Hungarian minority,” Viktória Ferenc stressed in response to the Commissioner’s statement.