On 13 June, State Secretary Dr. Rolf Schmachtenberg and Iryna Postolovska, Deputy Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine, signed an institutional partnership. By signing the partnership agreement, the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs will enhance its existing cooperation with Ukraine. Ukraine has set itself the goal of modernising its social welfare state and bring it in line with the Eu’s treaties. In this context, Ukraine has asked Germany, among other countries, for assistance in the necessary reform processes.
Together with the DRV, Germany's pension insurance institution, and the DGUV, Germany's statutory accident insurance institution, the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs is advising the Ukrainian Ministry of Social Policy, especially on the planned reform of the pension system and on support and assistance for persons with disabilities.
State Secretary Dr Rolf Schmachtenberg welcomed the agreed institutional partnership. “Russia's war of aggression poses many additional challenges for Ukraine's economic and social development. By signing the partnership, we have established a framework to support Ukraine in its reforms of the systems of social security and build a modern social welfare state.”
The institutional partnership with the Ukrainian Ministry of Social Policy is the second cooperation project of this kind agreed between the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and Ukraine. Since the beginning of this year, the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, together with the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, has been working closely with the Ukrainian Ministry of Economy in the field of labour market policy. The focus of that cooperation is on the reform of Ukrainian labour law, the Ukrainian public employment service and the recruitment of skilled labour.