O. Vilkul: Covenant of Mayors expands the possibilities of regions on implementing energy-saving technologies

Within the framework of the established by the European Union of the Covenant of Mayors, the Ministry of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Communal Services has signed an Agreement with the European Commission Directorate-General for Energy Cooperation. The Ministry has become a national project coordinator.

"Implementation of the Covenant of Mayors in Ukraine in enhances the possibilities of regions on the implementation of best practices in the use of energy saving technologies and technical assistance," Vice Prime Minister Olexandr Vilkul said.

"In 2012, Ukraine agreed to cooperate with the European Commission in providing practical support to participating municipalities of the initiative and regional authorities, which are joined to the Covenant of Mayors. One part of this cooperation was the opening of an office of technical support of participating cities of the Covenant of Mayors in Lviv for the post-Soviet countries in the framework of a special project the Covenant of Mayors - East. Nowadays Ukraine is a leader among the participants of this international initiative within the post-Soviet - 43 Ukrainian cities have joined to the Covenant of Mayors, 15 of which have been developed and agreed with the European Commission of the strategic plan of action for energy saving up to 2020," the Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Communal Services Gennady Temnyk said.

The initiative to sign the Agreement and to define the Ministry of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Communal Services a national coordinator of the Covenant of Mayors in Ukraine supported the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Energy and Mines, the Ministry of Industrial Policy, State Agency on Energy Efficiency and Energy Conservation Association of Cities of Ukraine and Association of Small Cities of Ukraine was supported.