Greening the Ukrainian Recovery
Building a Sustainable Future Together
"In this time of war, Ukrainians must be empowered to look forward to a brighter future. A future of peace, durable prosperity, and high quality of life. That future depends on the end of the war and on a recovery where we “build back better”. The EU is supporting Ukraine to build back on a foundation of environmental and social sustainability – with funding but also with technical and legislative capacity. And we’re preparing early, so that when the time comes, the complexity of the task does not
prevent sustainability to be at the core of recovery.”
Ukraine will require much support to help rebuild the country
given the huge damage caused by the war. The EU stands ready
to provide that support in close cooperation with international
partners.
Environmental damage from conflict brings devastating consequences for natural resources, critical ecosystems and people’s health, livelihoods and security. A green recovery is about remedying that damage and setting Ukraine on a new path of environmental and social sustainability.
Damage of the war to the environment and environmental infrastructures so far:
- over €52 billion of total damage
- 497 water management facilities damaged or destroyed
- Over €1.4 billion damages in the forestry sector
- 20% of protected areas under threat
- Environmental devastation resulting from the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydropower Plant, the worst man-madedisaster since the Chernobyl accident
- Ukraine now the most heavily mined country in the world
Political process
- Ukraine’s path to EU accession – the Commission is helping Ukraine align its environmental laws with the EU acquis and to build administrative structures to enforce and implement environmental laws.
- Building coalitions – close interaction with international partners (such as UNEP, UNIDO, World Bank) and support groups such as the High-Level Working Group on Environmental Consequences from the War
Funding
- EU Ukraine Facility
➔ Proposed €50 billion support over the 2024-2027 period
➔ Ukraine Plan for reconstruction – ensuring that environmental sustainability is considered in future investments - Multi-agency Donor Coordination Platform – enhancing coordination among all key players providing short-term and longer-term financial support
- Mobilising international support
Technical support
The New European Bauhaus/PHOENIX3 initiative:
a tailor-made combination of European
Commission programmes, targeted to support
Ukrainian policymakers and civil society
for a green recovery
1. New European Bauhaus (NEB) for Ukraine
- Cutting-edge expertise from a community of Ukrainian and EU experts, for a reconstruction that is affordable, sustainable, and of high aesthetic quality
- March 2023: launch of a capacity-building programme to help municipalities prepare the reconstruction, with 65 municipalities across Ukraine participating
- Modules: Getting organized for reconstruction, Circularity and Energy Efficiency, Housing
2. Horizon Europe Mission for Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities
- Call for research proposals amounting to €5 million, launched in April 2023
- Pairing Ukrainian cities with innovative European partners to raise sustainability standards in the reconstruction effort
- Support for developing climate-neutral strategies
3. PHOENIX LIFE (Policy and Legislative Projects)
- €5 million worth call for proposals dedicated to projects benefitting Ukraine and the New European Bauhaus Academy; launched in April, winners to be known by the end of 2023
- Support for the development of strategic urban and spatial planning capacity and the preparation of a circular and sustainable reconstruction, development of the Emerald
network and alignment to the Natura 2000 network - Focus: waste management, reuse of debris, building and construction sector, nature conservation
4. Focused PHOENIX Dialogues
- Policy dialogues between the European Commission and the Ukrainian government to support the alignment of Ukraine’s legislation to the EU’s environmental acquis
- Since February 2023, four dialogues organised covering water and waste management, environmental good governance and industrial emissions
Built with Shorthand