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.
