EU, EIB commit €600m to Hostomel

The European Commission and the European Investment Bank Group last week announced more than €600 million for Ukraine reconstruction, and one result is now visible in Hostomel. (eib.org 1) (eib.org 2) Primary School No. 1 in Hostomel, in Kyiv oblast, reopened on April 27 after a European Union-financed renovation following damage from Russia’s full-scale invasion. (eib.org) (eeas.europa.eu) The school project cost €613,000, including €511,000 from the European Investment Bank’s Ukraine Recovery Programme, according to the EU’s diplomatic service and the bank. (eeas.europa.eu) (eib.org) The rebuild nearly doubled the school’s capacity to 120 pupils from 67. It also added insulation, backup power, and rooms for digital learning, robotics and arts. (eeas.europa.eu) (euneighbourseast.eu) The broader package is larger than the Hostomel project: the Commission said it is extending an EU guarantee to unlock more than €450 million in European Investment Bank financing, plus about €150 million in European Union grants and technical assistance. (eib.org) Brussels said the money is aimed at urgent reconstruction, including energy, transport, municipal services, and support for small and medium-sized businesses, rather than direct military spending. (eib.org) (ec.europa.eu) Hostomel carries symbolic weight because it was one of the towns hit hardest in the opening weeks of the 2022 invasion, when Russian forces fought for control of the area near Kyiv. (eib.org) (rubryka.com) The school renovation sits inside a bigger pipeline of works in the Kyiv region. The European Investment Bank said five recovery projects have been completed there and 61 are underway. (eib.org) As of April 2026, the bank said it had provided €740 million through three recovery programmes inside Ukraine, while total European Investment Bank Group support to Ukraine since the full-scale invasion has reached €3.6 billion. (eib.org 1) (eib.org 2) For Hostomel, the immediate change is simpler than the financing structure: more children can now study in their own town, in a school rebuilt with European money during a war that is still going. (euneighbourseast.eu)