The European Commission and Ukraine are completing consultations on joining the international environmental program LIVE, whose budget for 2021-2027 is €5.5 billion.
This was stated by the Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Ruslan Strelets, reports Energy reform.
He explained that within a few weeks or a month, a visit to Ukraine by the European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginius Sinkevičius is expected to finalize the agreements.
Strelets noted that at the opening of the green week in Europe, which continues, Sinkevičius urged the Europeans to pay close attention to the issue of involving Ukraine in the LIVE program.
"The attitude of the European Commissioner towards Ukraine is so warm that he clearly said that we should pay attention to the restoration of Ukraine under the LIVE program. This gives me confidence that we will receive concrete funds for the implementation of specific projects as soon as possible," he said.
Strelets explained that the implementation of projects within the framework of LIVE can become an effective method of overcoming the consequences of the military actions of the Russian Federation, including in the direction of restoring the environment and preserving biodiversity. In addition, the program quickly funds innovative projects.
He added that Ukraine has applied to the relevant department of the European Commission with a request to help in the quality preparation of projects that Ukraine will submit. They are developed by about 200 specialists of the "Ecological Safety" working group.
In Ukraine, due to the aggression of the Russian Federation, about 20% of the area of all protected areas is under threat of destruction, and hostilities have engulfed 12 national parks and reserves.
"Almost 3,000 hectares of forests have been damaged by hostilities, on the territory of more than 500,000 hectares, hostilities are still ongoing. The situation is difficult in the Kherson region, where more than 4,000 hectares of forests have been destroyed by fire," Strelets said.
He explained that Ukraine is doing everything to calculate all the losses caused by the Russian Federation and file claims either in the form of lawsuits in international courts or in the general package of reparations.
Recall Ukraine will join the European programs LIFE and Copernicus.
As EcoPoliticа reported earlier, Ukraine joined the international project conservation of the Danube "LIFE WILDSLAND".
