Ukraine and Germany Sign Declaration of Intent to Support Labour Market Reforms through the JobConnect Programme On 15 December, the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) signed a Declaration of Intent to support labour market reforms through the newly established JobConnect programme, contributing to Ukraine’s socio-economic development and its path toward European integration.

The first Create Ukraine cohort completes the programme: 10 participants strengthened the economy, attracted investment, and worked towards advancing the EU accession The first cohort of the Create Ukraine programme has completed its 14-month work at the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture and the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine. Ten participants, who returned to Ukraine from the United Kingdom, China, France, Austria, Canada, Italy, and Slovakia, became part of key national economic projects, investment agreements, and Ukraine’s movement toward the EU. On 11 December, they presented the results of their work.

Ukraine assumes the chairmanship of the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River in 2026 On 11 December in Vienna (Austria), a ceremony was held to officially transfer the chairmanship of the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) from the Republic of Slovenia to Ukraine. The Ukrainian delegation, led by Iryna Ovcharenko, Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine, took part in the 28th Meeting of Heads of Delegations and the handover ceremony.

Council of the European Union approves a €2.3 billion disbursement for Ukraine for the third quarter of 2025 On 11 December, the Council of the European Union approved the allocation of a €2.3 billion tranche to Ukraine under the Ukraine Facility programme, based on the results achieved in the third quarter of 2025. Earlier, the European Commission had endorsed the disbursement following its assessment of Ukraine’s progress under the Ukraine Plan.

Support for rural communities in frontline areas: USD 10 million agreement signed Issues related to the corporate governance of state-owned assets, as well as cooperation in the fields of privatization and public–private partnerships (PPP), were discussed during a meeting between Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine Oleksii Sobolev and representatives of the French Development Agency (AFD), led by Mathieu Vasseur, AFD’s Regional Director for EU Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy.