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EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, conference participants in Lugano: Platform for the reconstruction of Ukraine
Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP
Delegations from around 40 countries are discussing the reconstruction of Ukraine in Lugano, Switzerland.
At the two-day conference, a kind of Marshall plan for the war-torn country is to be drafted.
The overview.
What is the conference about?
The Ukrainian government can present its recovery plan and discuss with its allies how best to tackle the daunting challenges.
"Lugano will be one of the first, if not the first, platform where the reconstruction of Ukraine, concrete steps and a plan will be discussed," Ukrainian Ambassador to Switzerland Artem Rybchenko said before the meeting.
At the end of the conference, a joint declaration is to be adopted.
Planning for the conference had started before the start of the Russian war of aggression.
The meeting was originally intended to discuss reforms and the fight against corruption in Ukraine.
But the Russian invasion changed the agenda.
Who participates?
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj was originally supposed to travel to Lugano and chair the conference alongside his Swiss colleague Ignazio Cassis.
Because of the war, Zelenskyj only takes part in the consultations virtually.
He will be represented in Lugano by Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal, who will be accompanied by five ministers and several MPs.
The conference will also be attended by high-level delegations from 37 other countries, representatives from 14 international organizations, and hundreds of business leaders and representatives of civil society.
Among others, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the Prime Ministers of Poland, the Czech Republic and Lithuania have confirmed their participation.
Federal Development Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD) traveled to Lugano on behalf of Germany.
With regard to the reconstruction, she spoke of an "immense task".
What is the goal of the conference?
The participants want to design a strategy based on the Marshall Plan, which helped to rebuild Europe after the Second World War.
The reconstruction of Ukraine is expected to cost hundreds of billions of euros, the Ukrainian government estimates that 720 billion euros will be needed.
Because now, four months after the beginning of the war, the country has suffered devastating damage.
The meeting should serve as a "compass" for the upcoming tasks, said the Swiss conference officer Simon Pidoux in advance.
The reconstruction of Ukraine will "take years, if not decades".
How did the beginning go?
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has urged the international community to support his country's reconstruction.
It was the "common task of the entire democratic world" to rebuild his country, which had been destroyed by the Russian war of aggression, said Zelenskyj in a video speech at the beginning.
Supporting his country is the "most important contribution to world peace".
The European Union promised help.
The EU will set up a reconstruction platform, said Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.
This will serve to determine the need for investment, coordinate measures and channel resources.
“Since the beginning of the war, the European Union has mobilized around 6.2 billion euros in financial support,” said von der Leyen: “And there is still more to come.
We will play a key role in the medium and long-term reconstruction.«
In what context will the conference take place?
Lugano is one of the three major financial centers in Switzerland.
The city, located on the lake of the same name, is a popular vacation spot.
According to the Swiss authorities, strict security precautions were taken for the conference.
1,600 soldiers were deployed to Lugano to support the local police forces, and airspace restrictions also apply.
ptz/AFP/dpa/Reuters
