Scholz urges Ukraine to rebuild the country ahead of EU membership

BERLIN, Oct. 24 (DPA/EP) -

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz signaled on Monday his intention to promote reconstruction in Ukraine after the end of the war with a view to the accession of the Eastern European country to the European Union.

"When we rebuild Ukraine, we do it with the aim of making it a member of the European Union," Scholz said on the sidelines of a Ukraine-focused economic forum in the German capital Berlin.

For the German president, it is necessary that the transport infrastructure, as well as the logistics sector, be rebuilt in such a way that Ukraine, once the war is over, can be interconnected with the territory of the European Union.

Likewise, Scholz has stressed that, at a financial level, it is also important to make investors see that if they deposit their money in the reconstruction of Ukraine, they are partly investing in a country that in the future will be a member of the European bloc.

"Whoever invests today in the reconstruction of Ukraine invests in a future Member State of the European Union that will be part of our community of law and our internal market," the German chancellor stressed.

At this point, he has emphasized that more than 2,000 German companies maintain commercial activities in Ukraine and that many others intend to return to operate in the country as soon as possible after their activity has been altered as a result of the war.

At the same time, Scholz has called on the Ukrainian government not to relax in its reform of the country and to continue improving the conditions for investment, with a particular focus on improving the rule of law, transparency and the determined fight against corruption.