Ukraine’s Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture, Oleksiy Sobolev, met in Kyiv with Arvid Türkner, Managing Director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in Ukraine and Moldova, to discuss continuing and expanding cooperation in priority areas.
Key topics included projects in the agricultural and energy sectors, particularly renewable energy, war risk insurance, development of public-private partnerships, and greening the economy.
Sobolev said, “The synergy of the merged ministry allows us to move faster on key priorities in environmental protection and agriculture. We aim to use this opportunity to cooperate with the EBRD, especially on greening the economy. Other priorities include attracting private capital, focusing on privatization and public-private partnership projects, supporting frontline territories, expanding financing tools, and reducing investor risks.”
During the meeting, the parties discussed irrigation reform, which is expected to be a key factor for agricultural development. The EBRD will assist Ukraine in implementing changes in this area and will launch a pilot project to modernize irrigation systems in southern Ukraine.
They also addressed expanding war risk insurance. The EBRD may support the launch of a state programme to insure businesses against war-related risks and the development of a digital platform for this purpose. The government aims to make insurance more accessible for entrepreneurs.
Other topics included privatization, the development of public-private partnerships, and implementing related projects. To attract private capital for reconstruction, Ukraine is preparing a large portfolio of investment projects to present to international partners at the IMF and World Bank meetings in October.
