Ukraine and Germany deepen cooperation on energy efficiency and social housing

Vitalii Bezghin, Minister for Communities, Territories and Internally Displaced Persons, met with important Ukrainian partners: representatives of German federal government ministries working in areas relevant to Minregion.

Federal Minister for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety Carsten Schneider and Parliamentary State Secretary of the Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building Sören Bartol are in Kyiv today

Energy efficiency and housing policy are two important areas of work for our newly established ministry.

Germany has been one of our key energy efficiency partners for many years. We are maintaining momentum and continuing programmes that are already working and are in real demand among communities.

These are, first and foremost, the Energy Efficiency Fund’s programmes. The fund has the necessary institutional capacity and transparent selection, verification and monitoring mechanisms. We therefore discussed in detail how to continue and attract additional financing for its programmes.

A separate area is Renewable Energy Solutions. This is Ukraine’s first large-scale grant project of its kind in renewable energy for communities, which we are implementing jointly with the EIB. The grant amounts to €16.5 million. We are now preparing for the programme’s practical implementation.

Another major area is European integration and Chapter 27. Ukraine is adapting its energy efficiency legislation to EU rules and fulfilling commitments under the Ukraine Facility. The next stage is implementation of European directives. Here we count on expert and technical support from German partners.

Our task as a ministry is not merely to allocate resources but also to teach communities to prepare and implement quality projects independently. That is why Germany’s support in developing human capital, sharing practical experience and strengthening local skills is especially valuable to us.

We also look forward to continued cooperation on social housing. Ukrainian communities need clear mechanisms and long-term cooperation. We therefore proposed creating a Coalition of Partners to build social housing stocks in Ukraine and bringing international donors together around it.

“I thank the Government of Germany and the German people for their consistent support for Ukraine. We value the fact that our cooperation is joint work on solutions that strengthen communities and will work over the long term,” Vitalii Bezghin emphasised.