French Ambassador and EIB representative visit Mykolaiv and talk to the media

The French Ambassador and the EIB representative talk to journalists in Mykolaiv, 20 January 2025, photo: Yuliia Boichenko/NikVesti

On Monday, 20 January, the French Ambassador to Ukraine, Gael Veyer, and the head of the European Investment Bank's Eastern Europe Regional Centre, Kristina Mikulova, paid a working visit to Mykolaiv.

They met with the mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych, the head of the regional military administration Vitalii Kim and talked to Mykolaiv journalists, according to NikVesti.

«Our current visit has, of course, a political component, but at the same time there is also a specific content, what we can do together for you here, on the ground. As for the political component, we had a meeting with the mayor and the head of the regional military administration, Gael Veyer explained in response to a question from a correspondent of NikVesti.

At the same time, the French ambassador and the EIB representative visited the port of Mykolaiv.

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«We saw the state of affairs there. We got a feel for how people live here,» he said.

According to him, France plans to finance local reconstruction projects, and French companies will implement them.

«We have received two new instruments that I hope we will use for the benefit of Ukraine. We are talking about a special fund created by the French Republic in the amount of 200 million euros. These funds will finance projects implemented by French companies in response to specific local needs, to rebuild civilian critical infrastructure,» said Gael Veyer.

The ambassador added that during the visit, he and the mayor and the head of the EMA discussed the issue of water supply for Mykolaiv.

«Together with our partners (Denmark and the EIB), we are thinking about how to respond to the needs of Mykolaiv in a concrete way. It is no secret to you that the city's most pressing problem is water. At the meetings, we touched upon various components of this issue to see what the best solutions might be,» he said.

At the same time, Kristina Mikulova, a representative of the European Investment Bank, said that the main purpose of the visit to Mykolaiv was to introduce the city authorities to the possibility of obtaining funds for the implementation of projects in the city.

«We came to introduce the mayor and your community to the opportunity to submit project proposals. These can be small or large projects. We have funded, for example, a hospital for 700 thousand euros, but we have also had larger projects. For example, as I have already explained, we can build a sports complex service centre for veterans. We want Mykolaivka to have the opportunity to submit a proposal for these applications and implement similar projects. This was one of our main goals,» said Kristina Mikulova.

Following the meeting, Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych said that one of the main topics for discussion was the issue of drinking water supply.

«He also stressed the importance of not only donor assistance but also attracting investment, as the return of people creates a need for jobs and business development», the mayor said.

Vitalii Kim, Head of the RMA, said that in addition to the water issue, they discussed cooperation on business recovery and strengthening the economy of Mykolaiv region.

«Our main priority is to ensure that tariffs remain affordable for people. We are actively working to find solutions to optimise the project cost and reduce tariffs», said Vitalii Kim.

Photo report

Kristina Mikulova, Head of the European Investment Bank's Eastern Europe Regional Centre, speaking to journalists in Mykolaiv, 20 January 2025: Yuliia Boichenko/NikVesti

Ambassador of France to Ukraine Gael Veyer speaking to journalists in Mykolaiv, 20 January 2025, photo: Yuliia Boichenko/NikVesti

Visit of the French Ambassador and EIB representative to Mykolaiv, 20 January 2025, photo: Yuliia Bochenko/NikVesti

Ambassador of France to Ukraine Gael Veyer with an interpreter during a conversation with journalists in Mykolaiv, 20 January 2025, photo: Yuliia Boichenko/NikVesti

Visit of the French Ambassador and EIB representative to Mykolaiv, 20 January 2025, photo: Yuliia Boichenko/NikVesti

Kristina Mikulova, Head of the European Investment Bank's Eastern Europe Regional Centre, speaking to journalists in Mykolaiv, 20 January 2025, photo: Yuliia Boichenko/NikVesti

Visit of the French Ambassador and EIB representative to Mykolaiv, 20 January 2025, photo: Mykolaiv City Council

Visit of the French Ambassador and the EIB representative to Mykolaiv on 20 January 2025, photo: Mykolaiv City Council

Visit of the French Ambassador and the EIB representative to Mykolaiv on 20 January 2025, photo: Mykolaiv Regional State Administration

Visit of the French Ambassador and EIB representative to Mykolaiv on 20 January 2025, photo: Mykolaiv Regional State Administration

Visit of the French Ambassador and the EIB representative to Mykolaiv on 20 January 2025, photo: Mykolaiv Regional State Administration

Photo: Yuliia Boichenko