Ukraine wins the support of Germany in sustainable development of Ukrainian cities in the framework of the Leipzig Charter

On March 22, there took place a solemn signing of the Memorandum of intent of cooperation between the cities of Ukraine and Germany to implement the Leipzig Charter on Sustainable European Cities. The document was inked by Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine/Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Utilities Hennadii Zubko and Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety of Germany Barbara Hendricks.

"Today we have secured the support of Germany in implementing the European approach to urban development. Due to this document we will establish our continued cooperation in this issue with the German side, will be able to apply their expertise to develop the roadmap for sustainable development for the cities of Ukraine. A mandatory condition of any changes is transparency and close cooperation with the public", said Hennadii Zubko.

The Vice Prime Minister added that the advisory support of the German partners would allow to avoid mistakes in determining the priorities by the local communities and to build a clear plan for urban development. "Ukrainian cities will be able to directly attract investment from the EU, to maintain horizontal partnerships, thus allowing to Ukraine to better integrate into the European Union", said Hennadii Zubko.

Barbara Hendricks noted that the joint statement between Ukraine and Germany contributes a lot to the development of cities. "We also had such a situation after 2009 and have successfully passed this way. We have the experience and we are ready to share it. We want to deepen our cooperation and help Ukraine to effectively implement the decentralization process", the Federal Minister added.

The joint work of Ukraine and Germany shall start with pilot projects in 5 Ukrainian cities: Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Lviv, Poltava and Chernivtsi. Such projects will make the city a better place to live in. They take into account peculiarities of people with limited mobility, contribute to the development of utility and warehouse zones of the city, promote the environment and clean air as a top priority issue. Person is the focus of attention.