In Rome 200 agreements for the reconstruction of Ukraine, Italy looks to Odessa

The idea is to replicate with Ukraine, once the war is over and the reconstruction phase has begun, the Marshall Plan, the economic aid programme promoted by the United States for the reconstruction of Europe after the Second World War. Defence, liquefied natural gas, support for exports: these are some of the subjects at the centre of the approximately two hundred agreements - forty only from Italy - signed at the Conference for the Recovery of Ukraine, worth around 10 billion euro. And equivalent reconstruction investments can be released with guarantees and subsidies from the 'European Flagship Fund for the Reconstruction of Ukraine', announced by Ursula von der Leyen, the establishment of which is at the heart of the declaration of intent signed by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani with EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos. Supported by the European Commission - via the EIB - and by France, Germany, Italy and Poland, it is 'the world's largest equity fund in support of reconstruction', remarked von der Leyen.

Italy has taken over the patronage of Odessa and will restore its cultural heritage, the Cathedral of the Transfiguration, the Philharmonic, and the Museum of Fine Arts. The Odessa region is also involved in an agreement on a project for the efficient use of water resources, and Kiev also cashes in on a three-way declaration of intent, with Italy and the Council of Europe Development Bank, for additional funding for the 'Home' project, which supports the mechanism set up by the Ukrainian government to compensate the owners of homes destroyed by war.

Another declaration of intent concerns Ukraine's cyber security. Meloni explained that he also spoke with Volodymyr Zelensky about 'cooperation between our defence industries'. Leonardo, Enav and the Ukrainian State Air Traffic Services Enterprise signed a Memorandum of Cooperation on a joint initiative to restore and upgrade Kiev's civil air navigation infrastructure.

Consolidating the synergy between the Ukrainian and Italian gas markets is the objective of the memorandum of cooperation between Snam and the Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine. Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti announced that the MEF 'intends to participate in an agreement with Ukraine to the tune of EUR 50 million' for 'the purchase of goods and services deemed essential for reconstruction', and to 'contribute EUR 100 million to the Economic Resilience Action programme of the World Bank Group'.

Specific instruments have been launched to support the commitment of Italian companies: Simest will activate a ceiling of 300 million for export credit from the Farnesina's dedicated fund. Cdp, Sace, and Simest have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ukrainian Ministry of Economy to cooperate on the development of Kiev's economy. In addition, the Italian Cooperation's allocation for initiatives in Ukraine has risen to 150 million euro, including aid credits and gift funds, focusing on energy, critical infrastructure, health, housing rehabilitation of vulnerable people, rural development, and mine clearance. Sace has also signed an agreement with the European Investment Fund (of the EIB Group) in the sphere of the InvestEU Export Credit Pilot Initiative, to incentivise export contracts of Italian companies to Ukraine through guarantees and counter-guarantees provided by Sace and EIF; and a memorandum of understanding with Ukreximbank to develop opportunities of common interest, with a focus on agro-industry, advanced mechanics, the chemical industry, and transport.