The European Commission’s legal team is currently finalizing a draft legal rationale for a reparations loan to Ukraine using frozen Russian assets, Commission Chief Spokesperson Paola Pinho said at a briefing in Brussels.
In response to a journalist’s question about the expected timeline for presenting the document to EU member states, the spokesperson said: “In the coming days.”
She clarified that for the legal assessment of the reparations loan idea, the European Commission relied on its own team of lawyers and did not hire external experts outside its administration.
Speaking about the Commission’s response to a recent letter addressed to it on behalf of Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, which expressed concerns about the legal, economic, financial, and political risks of a decision to use frozen Russian assets, Pinho acknowledged that any concerns related to unprecedented measures must be considered and discussed, and relevant discussions with member states, including Belgium, are ongoing.
At the same time, she declined to comment on De Wever’s suggestion that the reparations loan could hinder negotiations to end Russian aggression against Ukraine, stating that the European Commission will not comment on matters related to negotiation elements.
