European partners have accumulated approximately EUR 10 million to support the Platform for Action on the Green Recovery of Ukraine. This was announced by Svitlana Grynchuk, Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, on her Facebook page. Among the contributors are Italy, France, Finland, Japan, and the Czech Republic, with Germany providing EUR 5 million last year.

The sustainable reconstruction of Ukraine, existing projects and resources, as well as support needs, were the focus of discussions today among government officials, experts, representatives of environmentally focused NGOs, and international partners at the First Stakeholders Forum of the Platform for Action on the Green Recovery of Ukraine.

This platform, launched in Berlin in June 2024, will see further development at the URC2025 in Rome this July. The event brought together a significant number of participants and generated a substantial pool of ideas on how to rebuild each sector of the economy and the country as a whole.

“The war has already caused over EUR 85 billion in damage to Ukraine’s environment. However, to formulate a comprehensive recovery strategy for all areas of life in the country, taking into account environmental impacts, we are discussing all damages and losses today. This approach will enable us to create a clear ‘matrix’ of projects with the least burden on the environment,” Svitlana Grynchuk stated at the Forum.

The First Stakeholders Forum gathered over 800 participants today, including international partners from Germany. German counterparts were among the initiators and co-founders of the Platform. Additionally, Germany co-chairs the working group on Point 8 of the Ukrainian President’s Peace Formula, Environmental Security.

“I fully agree with Eva Kracht, Director General for International and European Policy at Germany’s Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection – today, it is crucial to align the recovery process with the priorities of the global climate agenda and environmental protection issues. The Platform is preparing its first initiatives with support from Finland, Italy, the Czech Republic, and Germany, which will be presented in Rome,” Svitlana Grynchuk remarked.

Partners from Italy, where the next Ukraine Recovery Conference will take place, were also present at the Forum. According to Svitlana Grynchuk, Italy places great emphasis on green solutions both for its own development and in cooperation with Ukraine. Several agreements have been reached regarding collaboration on implementing green technologies. As Carlo Formosa, Ambassador of the Italian Republic to Ukraine, noted, Italy will continue to provide expertise in green architecture and the circular economy, supporting Ukraine in turning challenges into opportunities. Consequently, investment in Ukraine’s green recovery will be among the key topics at the upcoming URC2025 in Rome.

“Finland also co-chairs the Environmental Security working group under President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Peace Formula. Moreover, together with our partners, we are already implementing several joint projects in environmental monitoring. Finland’s support for Ukraine remains steadfast. Our partners have assured us that Finland, as the presiding country of the OSCE, will keep the Ukrainian issue on the agenda,” the Minister stated.

According to her, partners from Belgium believe that the difficult situation Ukraine finds itself in could serve as a catalyst for building a new, better country. They are prepared to provide Ukraine with the necessary assistance in this process.