The devastation caused to Ukraine by the war is enormous. It is currently estimated at between 200 and 600 billion euros. Meanwhile, the war continues in full force and the damage is increasing every day. Kyiv is already rebuilding itself, but the war remains the first priority.

Ukraine must take charge of recovery and it is not there yet. “The reconstruction needs were not determined by Ukraine itself due to the state of war that the country is currently in,” the Cabinet wrote to the House of Representatives this month.

But the house is in a hurry and the D66 business plan to start providing assistance is now backed by VVD, PvdA, SP, GroenLinks and ChristenUnie. “Don’t wait until the war is over to show solidarity, but start now with the first phase of recovery aid,” says D66 MP Alexander Hammelburg.

According to him, the Netherlands can send urban planners who can help design new towns and villages. The idea is that work can begin immediately after the war. Knowledge about bridge building and farming can also be shared, according to the business plan.

Lots of bears on the way

A roundtable discussion this month in the House of Representatives on reconstruction made clear that reconstruction should not be postponed until the war is over. But there are still plenty of bears on the way. There are also concerns among MPs.

Corruption was rampant in Ukraine before the Russian invasion. The House of Representatives wants to prevent the many billions of reconstruction dollars from falling into the wrong hands. Ambassador Genes de Mol said during the round table that this concern is understandable.

Another question is what will you support. Ukraine invites countries to adopt a city or region. But a specific sector can also be chosen to help, such as agriculture. In addition, the government believes that aid and reform should go hand in hand. According to the ambassador, it will be a “challenge” to align all the reconstruction plans.

Reconstruction is one of the topics at the Summit of European Heads of State and Government on Monday and Tuesday in Brussels. The European Commission wants to lead the reconstruction coordination with Ukraine. It also wants to create a fund to finance construction.