The move is likely to further tighten links between the 27-nation bloc and EU candidate Ukraine, which has been struggling to keep its government administration running while fending off Russia's almost eight-month-old invasion.

Speaking to journalists after a meeting of the ministers, Dombrovskis admitted this year's EU payments to Ukraine were hardly regular -- a point of concern for Kyiv, which needs to regularly pay the salaries public workers and pensions.

The EU agreed to support Ukraine with 9 billion euros already in May, but made the first disbursement of 1 billion euros only in July.

Dombrovskis said the next tranche of 5 billion euros would be made by mid-October and the remaining 3 billion in two instalments in November and December.

"It is important to have a more predictable flow for Ukraine next year, so our intention is to integrate it into the EU budget discussions for 2023 and in this way make it a more steady flow. There was agreement on this approach among the ministers," Dombrovskis said.

(Reporting by Jan Strupczewski; Editing by Mark Heinrich)