Italy to help Ukraine restore critical water infrastructure and develop a European air monitoring system

Today in Rome, Italy, on the sidelines of the URC2025, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine and the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security of the Italian Republic signed a Framework Action Plan under the Memorandum and approved the Concept for Air Quality Monitoring. Back in 2023, in Rome, the two institutions signed a Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation in the Field of Sustainable Development and Environmental Protection.

So what are these documents about? The Action Plan provides for the following:

- Implementation of bilateral and multilateral projects in the field of water resources, in particular in frontline and rural areas;

- support from the Italian side for the construction of water supply infrastructure;

- involvement of Italian engineering expertise, modern technologies and equipment, including energy-efficient pumping systems;

- improvement of hydrological, hydrochemical and hydromorphological monitoring for the development of national policy and restoration of aquatic ecosystems;

- development of a European air monitoring system in Ukraine. This direction is detailed in the approved concept.

"The concept, in particular, provides for the establishment of a National Reference Laboratory and the installation of a pilot air monitoring station in Ukraine with the assistance of the Italian Republic. The project budget is almost EUR 2.5 million and provides for the purchase of relevant equipment, as well as staff training and ongoing exchange of experience and strengthening of institutional capacity. Such assistance will allow us to begin the transition to the European model of air quality management, as well as create the preconditions for sustainable post-war recovery, taking into account environmental priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals," wrote Svitlana Grynchuk, Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, on her Facebook page.

Svitlana Grynchuk thanked Italy for its leadership in hosting this year's International Ukraine Recovery Conference and for supporting Ukraine's transition to sustainable and resilient development.

“It is crucial for us to have such strategic partners both in the context of green reconstruction of the country and in achieving our European integration goals,” summed up Svitlana Grynchuk.