Ukraine supports EU's Green Deal strategy

Ukraine has not yet joined the European Union's Green Deal but supports its strategy.

As Head of the Ukrainian parliamentary delegation to the PACE Maria Mezentseva said on the air of the Dom TV channel, Ukraine supports the Green Deal strategy given the relevance of the country's environmental security issues. In particular, due to Russia's occupation of part of the territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, the ecology of the region has significantly deteriorated.

"Donbas is a region that has always been linked with heavy industry. And we know from the research by some Ukrainian and foreign scientists that the environmental disaster is looming now in the region because of its occupied parts. It's both water quality and access to it. It's also the use of our natural resources, which began after the occupation and the war in 2014, which leads to losses, dried up mouths of rivers. Satellite images prove this, showing natural water reservoirs that have dried up," Mezentseva said.

She added that "we cannot but follow this EU course, but this requires huge funding."

At the same time, Mezentseva emphasized that Ukraine received significant financial support from the EU. Since 2014, the EU has allocated more than EUR 16 billion for reforms and development of Ukraine.

"This is a clear figure: EUR 16.5 billion in non-repayable financial aid. I want to emphasize that this is not a loan. This is the assistance that has been channeled into science, culture, economics, and other areas," she said.

As a reminder, Ukraine declared its readiness to join the Green Deal in 2020.

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