The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will provide EUR140 million to support municipalities in Ukraine, EBRD Vice President for Policy and Partnerships Mark Bowman said.
“We need to support Ukraine, in particular the environmental infrastructure during the war and lay a strong foundation for its green recovery. This is a really important part of Ukraine’s European integration. I was very surprised by the super commitments that Ukraine has made on its way to the EU,” he said on the sidelines of the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin on Tuesday.
Bowman recalled that the EBRD has been supporting Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale war and has invested more than EUR4 billion in support of Ukraine. In addition, investments in energy efficiency projects, water supply, water drainage, public transportation in Ukraine continue to receive about EUR160 million.
“We are ready to provide additional funding of EUR140 mln to support municipalities that face serious problems and are in a difficult situation. They need to cope with the devastation. These difficulties are big,” the EBRD representative emphasized.
Bowman also recalled that the EBRD has developed the Green Cities program. This project started in 2016 and seven Ukrainian cities joined it. They continue to work even in conditions of war. In particular, two participants of this program have introduced war plans and continue to implement them.
In addition, the EBRD this week announced a EUR55 million investment in a joint venture with Goldback Solar Investment to build and operate new renewable energy facilities, predominantly solar, on 522 MHz.
The European Commission is launching a new European Bauhaus capacity building program to assist municipalities in the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Ukraine.
The European Commission said Thursday that the decision follows several events, including a meeting between Commission members and the Ukrainian government in Kiev on February 2, the EU-Ukraine summit on February 3, and the visit of European Commissioner Virginius Sinkevicius to Kiev on February 16-17.
“The program will be launched in the afternoon during a high-level meeting with Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius. The capacity building initiative aims to inspire and provide practical assistance to municipalities involved in the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Ukraine,” the European Commission explained the essence of the initiative.
It is also reported that the program is organized by and with Ukrainian partners, such as Ro3kvit, ReThink, Covenant of Mayors East and the Council of Architects Europe. The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and commissioners Maria Gabriel and Elisa Ferreira will take part in the event through a video address.
Commenting on the event, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “We will rebuild Ukraine. We must, and we will. The reconstruction that Ukraine deserves should be done in the spirit of the New European Bauhaus (NEB). Urban planners, architects, engineers are involved in the project, and the concept of the NEB will inspire them. Our vision is to turn the destruction of war into opportunities to build a beautiful and healthy future for Ukraine.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is negotiating with municipalities in the de-occupied territories and is ready to support them, EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
“Supporting municipalities is one of the key priorities of the bank’s support in Ukraine. We recently signed a technical cooperation agreement with the city of Mariupol to conduct a loss and needs assessment, which will form the basis of preparations for the reconstruction of the city. We are negotiating with other municipalities, including recently de-occupied territories, and are ready to support them,” she said.
So far, the EBRD is working with a total of 19 municipalities across the country.
“Right now our focus is liquidity financing, but where possible we also continue to support priority investments,” Reno-Basso reported.
The full text of EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso’s interview with Interfax-Ukraine will be published on the website.
