The Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, Svitlana Hrynchuk, participated in the Ukrainian-Estonian forum "Clean Technologies, Green Energy, and the Energy Sector of Ukraine and Estonia."
The event was also attended by the Minister of Energy and Environment of Estonia, Andres Sutt, Deputy Minister of Energy of Ukraine, Mykola Kolisnyk, Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Environmental Policy and Natural Resource Management, Oleh Bondarenko, representatives of the Estonian government, businesses, and expert communities. During the forum, the participants discussed possible directions and forms of cooperation for the recovery of Ukraine. Svitlana Hrynchuk emphasized that Ukraine's recovery will be exclusively green and climate-friendly. According to her, Ukraine's goal is not just to rebuild what was destroyed, but to build a new, modernized country based on energy efficiency, resource conservation, and climate adaptation principles.
At the forum, Svitlana Hrynchuk held a bilateral meeting with the Minister of Energy and Environment of Estonia, Andres Sutt.
"We discussed the prospects and opportunities for cooperation between our countries in areas such as the development of protected natural areas, state environmental control reform, environmental monitoring, demining, post-war ecosystem recovery, synchronization of Ukrainian legislation with European standards, and preparing proposals for EU financial instruments," said Svitlana Hrynchuk.
She reminded that during the informal meeting of environment ministers in Warsaw last week, they discussed the implementation of financial instruments for the environment with European colleagues. Estonia has extensive experience in preparing CAP, Life, and Cohesion Fund projects, and their practices may be useful on Ukraine’s path to the EU.
"We discussed with Andres Sutt the issue of water supply and the development of a water quality monitoring system. Estonia has been developing digital solutions in the water sector for over 20 years and is ready to share these solutions. These include automatic data collection into electronic databases, the use of information systems for issuing and monitoring permits, and the development of river basin management measures," noted the Minister.
Andres Sutt agreed that Ukraine and Estonia have significant potential for exchanging experiences in forestry development. Estonia has practices in this area that may be relevant to Ukraine, such as the development of a new forest resource management system. Meanwhile, our digital tools are of interest to Estonian experts.
"We highly value Estonia's support. We are already implementing a number of joint projects. Last year, Estonia allocated 1 million euros for the implementation of climate and environmental initiatives in Ukraine. Prior to that, Estonia provided significant help in documenting environmental crimes. This highlights Estonia's readiness to share its experience and resources, demonstrates solidarity with us, and supports environmental reforms in our country," emphasized Svitlana Hrynchuk.
Regarding further cooperation directions, Svitlana Hrynchuk noted that Estonia demonstrates leadership in digital solutions, innovations, energy efficiency, and climate technologies.
"We see significant potential for interaction: from sustainable construction and waste management to renewable energy, digital ecosystems, and joint pilot projects. Specifically:
- We need the help of innovative companies to develop demining and land purification technologies;
- We value support in creating new approaches for stable water supply for the population;
- We invite Estonian companies to work with us on recovery initiatives under the "LIFE" programme. Together, we can implement necessary recovery initiatives involving both international and Ukrainian partners;
- We are interested in attracting investments in projects related to the creation of waste management infrastructure in Ukraine. We need new technologies and innovations, and this presents great opportunities for collaboration between Ukrainian and Estonian businesses.
"Indeed, there are many such sectors in the environmental field, and they are all related to Ukraine's reconstruction and recovery. By joining forces, we can do great work. I am confident that innovations from the private sector can become a breakthrough in Ukraine's 'green' transformation," the Minister concluded.
