EBRD will not reduce environmental standards for new projects in Ukraine

EBRD will not reduce environmental standards for new projects in Ukraine shutterstock
Katerina Belousova

Ukraine's support should not affect the quality of environmental and climate standards

The president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Odile Renaud-Basso said that, despite military actions, the bank did not lower environmental and climate standards when evaluating projects for investment in Ukraine.

The EBRD must fully align its activities with the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement by the end of 2022, reports Interfax-Ukraine.

"So every EBRD investment is scrutinized to make sure it is fit for purpose. Our environmental, particularly climate, standards have not changed," Renaud-Basso said.

She said the bank had to find new ways to apply these standards, conduct due diligence in difficult situations and act quickly. However, Ukraine's support should not affect their quality.

Renaud-Basso emphasized that such an example is the launch of the Chapter Zero platform within the Climate Management Initiative (CGI) on the basis of the Kyiv School of Economics. The platform aims to help board members in the bank's key regions to better understand the potential impacts of climate change on the future of their business.

"The launch of Chapter Zero in Ukraine is a good example of how, while helping Ukrainians meet their urgent needs, we are also helping them build institutions and policies that will become the foundation of a greener and better Ukraine in the future," she said.

As EcoPolitic reported before, the head of the State Service of Geology and Subsoil of Ukraine Roman Opimakh and Vice President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Jürgen Rigterink signed the Memorandum on digitization of geological information and development of IT architecture.

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