The EU27 environment ministers, meeting in Prague on Wednesday 13 July for an informal ‘Environment’ Council, explored ways to help Ukraine immediately mitigate the environmental damage caused by the war triggered by Russia, and then to address it in the long term.
The environmental impact of this conflict, with its destruction of infrastructure and pollution, was the subject of a working session to which the Ukrainian Minister for Ecology and Natural Resources, Ruslan Strilets (see EUROPE 12990/8), was invited.
“We agreed that Ukraine should be helped as much as possible”, the Czech Minister for the Environment, Anna Hubáčková, told a press conference, noting the Ukrainian minister’s concerns, which were shared with her colleagues, notably through the projection of images to illustrate her point.
When asked about how assistance could be provided, the EU Environment Council President-in-Office mentioned, among the ideas put forward, the proposal to map different ecosystems, a task in which the European Environmental Bureau is ready to participate, as are the Czech research institutes.
Ms Hubáčková also mentioned the protection of ecosystems and their restoration after the war, the restoration of drinking water infrastructure, water purification and soil clean-up.
“Other countries have offered financial assistance through joint projects”, she said, stressing that these projects “can be coordinated, given the many similar offers”.
However, she said the Ukrainian minister “did not ask for a specific amount” and the ministers did not advance sums in the millions.
“I want to show my colleagues the true face of war. I have some figures on environmental damage. Our army is on the front line, but we at the Ministry of Environmental Protection are calculating all the damage and preparing a rehabilitation plan. And after the war, when we have won, we will start to make this plan a reality”, the Ukrainian minister told the press on his arrival.
The EU Commissioner for the Environment, Virginijus Sinkevičius, did not attend the press conference.
However, on his arrival, he had recalled that Ukraine has already been associated with the LIFE programme since 24 June and will therefore be able to benefit from co-financing for environmental and climate projects (see EUROPE 12979/17).
“It is not a large fund, but it can certainly support restoration efforts. We must, nevertheless, take into account all environmental issues. The destruction of water treatment plants, chemical warehouses, etc. All this has a long-term impact”, he stressed.
Several EU Member States are already helping Ukraine, such as Austria, whose minister, Leonore Geweissler, pointed out that her country is already supporting a laboratory specialising in chemical water analysis to obtain data on the state of pollution of drinking water and groundwater.
Beyond the expertise provided, there is a need for a long-term perspective on what can be done to increase assistance, she said.
Poland, for its part, has already provided the equipment Ukraine needs to map the environmental impact of the war. “We have also offered support with manpower to do the assessment. This is the kind of measure we can take at this stage”, said the Polish State Secretary Adam Stefan Guibourgé-Czetwertyńsk, adding that it will be necessary to wait until the end of the war “before the EU can support the green restoration and green reconstruction” of Ukraine.
Finland stands ready to help Ukraine. “We are looking at the capabilities that we have and where we could be of assistance”, said the Finnish State Secretary, Terhi Lzhtonen. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)