Denmark will allocate €8 million to fight against corruption in Mykolaiv

The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Lars Lekke Rasmussen, announced aid to Mykolaiv in the amount of 8 million euros to continue the work of the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative in the city.

He stated this at a briefing with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba in Mykolaiv.

The funds will go to the third stage of the program, which involves improving transparency and integrity in Mykolaiv.

«Denmark will donate 8,000,000 euros to the upcoming third phase of the EU anti-corruption initiative. Denmark leads and implements this program on behalf of the European Union. The program will work closely with the mayor and his team, and together we want to improve transparency and integrity in the reconstruction of Mykolaiv,» said Lars Lekke Rasmussen.

It should be noted that Mykolaiv has been cooperating with the Anti-Corruption Initiative since August 19, 2022, when the Minister of Development of Cooperation of Denmark Flemming Møller Mortensen and the mayor of Mykolaiv Oleksandr Sienkevych signed a memorandum of cooperation, which provides for the implementation of transparency and accountability practices in Mykolaiv with a focus on the reconstruction of the city. The organization, together with the local authorities, is working on a common mission — the creation of the «City of Virtue».

The head of the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lars Lekke Rasmussen, also assured that the country is ready to continue to support Ukraine, in particular Mykolaiv, in everything.

«Therefore, I just want to assure you that we stand by your side and will support you in everything. I also want to take this opportunity to thank all of you, despite the brutal aggression, shelling and attacks of Russia, you work tirelessly to support Ukraine, we come here to do business, to carry out reconstruction or to volunteer, we are all here to provide as soon as possible support to Ukraine. You know that your work here can be both dangerous and extremely difficult, but instead of leaving, you have decided to continue your efforts in Ukraine, I hope you will continue to work in Ukraine,» said the minister.

We will remind, earlier the mayor of Mykolaiv, Oleksandr Sienkevych, announced that by the end of 2023, or in January 2024, as part of the work with the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative, a register (map) of humanitarian aid, which the city has received from donors since the beginning of the full-scale war, will be operational in Mykolaiv.

It is worth noting that Mykolaiv is the only city in Ukraine that has implemented monitoring of international aid, which partners transfer to the city administration.

The beginning of Denmark's cooperation with Mykolaiv

In March 2022, the president of Ukraine, speaking in front of the Danish parliament, called on the country to take «leadership» over Mykolaiv after the end of the full-scale war unleashed by Russia.

At the end of August last year, the mayor of Mykolaiv, Oleksandr Sienkevych, and the Minister of International Development of Denmark, Flemming Moller Mortensen, signed a memorandum of cooperation. The memorandum envisages joint work on the formation of reconstruction projects and the involvement of investors from various countries in the restoration of Mykolaiv.

In January 2023 , a meeting of representatives of Denmark and Ukraine took place in Mykolaiv regarding the planning of further restoration of the city.

On July 3, the Minister of the Kingdom of Denmark announced a new aid package for the Mykolaiv region.

In September, after a meeting with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the opening of the office of the Danish Embassy in Ukraine in Mykolaiv.

At the beginning of November, Denmark announced a new large-scale aid package for Ukraine for 40.2 million euros. The main emphasis in the aid package is on Mykolaiv and the Mykolaiv region.

Also, in November, the Office of Reconstruction and Development of the Mykolaiv Oblast and the Office of Reconstruction and Development of the City of Mykolaiv became operational.

And recently, on January 26, the office of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Denmark in Ukraine was opened in Mykolaiv. On this occasion, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the country, Lars Lekke Rasmussen, arrived in the city.