The Think Tank German Marshall Fund of the United States publishes a report on Thursday to coordinate the approach of Westerners for the reconstruction of the country.
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The war in Ukraine still seems far from over, but discussions on the reconstruction of the country have already started. It is to bring his voice to the debate that the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), a transatlantic think tank, publishes, Wednesday, September 7, its recommendations and warnings. This forty-five pages report, which aims to coordinate the approach of Western countries, appears a month and a half before a conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine, scheduled for October 25 in Berlin, and two months after the first meeting which was held on this theme, in July in Lugano, Switzerland. More than forty countries and international organizations had then negotiated with kyiv the contours of the future reconstruction, estimated at more than $ 100 billion (101 billion euros), only to repair damaged infrastructure, but at 750 billion in total, according to authorities.
As the note The GMF’s report, which Le Monde was able to consult in preview, the first challenge facing Westerners is linked to the fact that war is still in progress. “We therefore do not know the extent of the investment which will be necessary for the reconstruction of Ukraine,” explains Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff, one of the co-authors. The question of knowing when starting this effort is nonetheless “crucial”, he adds: “Ukrainians want it to be now, wherever it is possible, but Western economic partners are more cautious. It is a subject of friction. “
The GMF pleads for a process in four phases: emergency aid and basic rehabilitation as long as the war continues; Rapid reconstruction of destruction after a ceasefire; Modernization to “rebuild better” and attract foreign direct investments; Phase of membership of the European Union, which aims to align the country with the cannons in force within the EU.
Given the complexity of the effort to be provided, the GMF insists on the need for “leadership”. But, unlike other plans, its report does not provide that the European Commission oversees this work in partnership with the Ukrainian government, because “Brussels has neither the political weight nor the necessary financial weight”, estimates the think tank. The latter pleads for the G7 countries that take control and call, in consultation with Ukraine, a “coordinator to direct this effort”, who “should be an American with a global stature”.
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