First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine - Minister of Economy Yulia Svyridenko and Federal Minister of Labor and Economy of the Republic of Austria Martin Kocher signed the Framework Agreement between the Government of Ukraine and the Government of the Republic of Austria on economic cooperation in the development of projects. The signing of the agreement took place on Sunday, September 4, in Krakow, during Yulia Svyridenko's visit to Poland.

"The attack of the Russian Federation is an attack not only on Ukraine but also on the entire European system; therefore the restoration of our state must be a joint matter. We are grateful to our Austrian partners for their willingness to participate in Ukraine's reconstruction actively and invest in its development. We hope that the agreement on economic cooperation signed today will allow us to start several important projects, in particular, in the health care field. Among the priorities are the construction and equipment of the National Children's Specialized Hospital "Okhmatdit" and the modern university clinic in Kyiv, as well as the creation of the National Rehabilitation Center in Lviv. The estimated cost of these projects will be more than 500 million euros," said First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine - Minister of Economy Yulia Svyridenko.

According to her, related preferential long-term financing under the guarantees of European export credit agencies will be involved in implementing the mentioned projects. It is expected that the effective rate of attracting funds will not exceed 3% per annum, and the borrowing period will be up to 14 years. Such preferential targeted financing of socially significant projects is a good alternative and addition to more expensive and short-term obligations, which are usually borrowed to replenish the working capital of the state budget.

Following the Agreement on economic cooperation in the development of projects, the governments of Ukraine and Austria agreed on:

• use of economic potential to strengthen bilateral economic relations;

• promoting the development of modern social and educational infrastructure, in particular, the development of a network of modern medical and vocational educational institutions;

• promoting the development of the insurance medicine market in Ukraine;

• activation of bilateral economic relations, in investments, innovations, and implementation of economic projects, especially in medical technologies and healthcare facilities, but not limited to them.

The First Vice Prime Minister also expressed her gratitude to the Austrian partners for the financial and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and for Austria's initiative to take the lead in the reconstruction of the Zaporizhia region, which needs demining of the territory, restoration of residential, educational, medical infrastructure and housing and communal facilities, destroyed during the war.