Within the framework of the Ukraine-EU Summit, on October 6, Olga Stefanishyna, the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, signed three agreements with the European Commission for a total of € 60 million.
"Together with the European Union, we are facing a number of common challenges. Those are the fight against COVID-19, hybrid threats, the transition to a resource-efficient economy that does not harm the environment. These are common objectives, because overcoming these challenges will have a positive impact on business and the quality of life of citizens," said Olga Stefanishyna.
The first and largest € 30 million EU Strong Regions Program agreement provides funding to local authorities to respond to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, to increase the safety of people in the regions affected by the conflict in eastern Ukraine and the illegal annexation of Crimea, and to support independent media, journalists, promote new media initiatives.
The second agreement between the Government of Ukraine and the European Commission concerns the financing of the event "Civil Society Development Mechanism of Ukraine" in the amount of € 20 million. The resource will be directed to develop NGOs to encourage their participation in the development of national policies, assist in the implementation of reforms, and involve the citizens of Ukraine in social and community initiatives, including the fight against domestic and gender-based violence.
The third agreement concerns the financing of the event "Climate package for a sustainable economy: (CACE) in Ukraine" to the tune of € 10 million, which will help work towards Ukraine's accession to the European Green Deal.
"This agreement will allow us to finance projects for the transition to a clean, resource-efficient, climate-neutral and circular economy. And these are additional opportunities to attract investment into the economy of Ukrainian regions and high-quality development of necessary policies and programs by the Government," said Olha Stefanishyna.
In particular, the agreement envisages planning to provide grants for energy audits and improving energy efficiency of small and medium-sized enterprises, develop renewable energy projects, advise municipalities on cost-effective heat and hot water supply and develop sustainable urban mobility plans, support local communities in the renewable energy sector, and creating a full life cycle of products from production to consumption in the secondary raw materials market. The agreement also provides for the establishment of a joint resource center on climate innovation between Ukraine and the EU and the introduction of reliable accounting of greenhouse gas emissions and ozone-depleting substances.