{"id":42730,"date":"2021-07-09T14:36:08","date_gmt":"2021-07-09T12:36:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/libmod.de\/input-paper-fighting-corruption-ukraine-ryzhenko-copy\/"},"modified":"2022-05-06T10:33:39","modified_gmt":"2022-05-06T08:33:39","slug":"input-paper-european-green-deal-for-ukraine-status-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/libmod.de\/en\/input-paper-european-green-deal-for-ukraine-status-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Input Paper \u201cEuropean Green Deal for Ukraine: current status and future\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Foto: Yannick-Morelli\/ shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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As part of our project \u201cEastern Part\u00adner\u00adship Plus\u201d, we are pub\u00adlish\u00ading a second series of input papers on the topic of Perspec\u00adtives and Prior\u00adities European Green Deal (EGD) in Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova. The authors from the region (Nataliya Andru\u00adsevych, Manana Kochladze, Iuliana Cantaragiu) analyse the role of the Euro\u00adpean Union in sup\u00adport\u00ading the imple\u00admen\u00adtation of the EGD and for\u00admu\u00adlate their polit\u00adi\u00adcal rec\u00adom\u00admen\u00adda\u00adtions for deci\u00adsion-makers in Berlin and Brussel \u2013 f\u00fcr englische Seite.<\/h3>\n

<\/h2>\n

By Nataliya Andru\u00adsevych, Chair of the Governing Board, Resource and Analysis Center \u201cSociety and Environment\u201d<\/h3>\n

Why is the European Green Deal important for Ukraine?<\/h2>\n

The European Green Deal (adopted by the EU in 2019) has a major impact on attitudes towards sustain\u00adability and green trans\u00adfor\u00admation in Ukraine. Climate and environ\u00admental issues are increas\u00adingly playing a role in the discourse of officials and in the business sector, and are appearing on policy agendas at the highest level. <\/strong><\/p>\n

For Ukraine, there are several important points associated with joining the EGD processes:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Ukraine becomes a part of the pan-European process of green transformation;<\/li>\n
  • Ukraine obtains new oppor\u00adtu\u00adnities for green funding, environ\u00admental moderni\u00adsation, and cooper\u00adation on concrete green issues with the EU and its member-states;<\/li>\n
  • Ukraine receives a new impetus to implement its existing inter\u00adna\u00adtional commit\u00adments (EU-Ukraine Associ\u00adation Agreement, Paris Agreement, Convention on Biological Diversity, Energy Community Treaty).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Ukraine has estab\u00adlished an extensive legal and policy basis for sustainable devel\u00adopment. National Sustainable Devel\u00adopment Goals for 2030 have been estab\u00adlished by presi\u00addential decree. These nationally adapted SDGs are accom\u00adpanied by a framework for monitoring progress, with annual reports. The State Environ\u00admental Policy Strategy and the more recent National Economy Strategy both identify sustainable devel\u00adopment as a key goal and principle. There are refer\u00adences to sustainable devel\u00adopment in numerous other national sectoral policy documents.<\/p>\n

    In practice, these and other strategies have had little effect on devel\u00adopment trends. This is due to the overall lack of capacity for strategic and policy planning and imple\u00admen\u00adtation in Ukraine. In addition, sustainable devel\u00adopment is usually perceived as simply \u201cstable\u201d devel\u00adopment, i.e. continuous growth. Tradi\u00adtionally, green issues have not been a priority on the political agenda in Ukraine, and the environ\u00admental component of sustainable devel\u00adopment has received less attention than any other components.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    What are the prior\u00adities for and forms of cooperation?<\/h2>\n

    Ukraine has expressed its support for the EGD as well as an ambition to align its policies with the EGD goals. Ukraine initiated the bilateral high-level dialog on EGD and promotes cooper\u00adation on concrete sectoral issues (such as hydrogen, CBAM, green alliances).<\/strong> Ukraine outlined its vision for future cooper\u00adation on the EGD in a position paper presented to the European Commission in the summer of 2020. Several policies and strategies now include refer\u00adences to the EGD.<\/p>\n

    The recently adopted \u201cNational Economy Strategy 2030\u201d intro\u00adduced the target of transi\u00adtioning to a climate-neutral economy by 2060.<\/strong> The key targets envisaged by the EU policy documents imple\u00admenting EGD in most sectors have been fully or at least partially incor\u00adpo\u00adrated into Ukraine\u2019s strategic documents (government programmes, action plans, strategies, etc.). However, Ukraine lags behind in many areas: while the EU is improving existing instru\u00adments, Ukraine plans to introduce them (for example, emissions trading system, chemicals regulation or waste management).<\/p>\n

    Several areas are in the focus of policy debate in the context of the EGD, while some other areas are not on the agenda. The top priority areas are energy, climate change, indus\u00adtrial policy in the context of CBAM and energy efficiency. The areas of shared interest within the EGD, as defined at the meeting of the EU-Ukraine Associ\u00adation Council, include energy efficiency, hydrogen, coal regions in transition, industry alliances and climate gover\u00adnance archi\u00adtecture<\/strong>. The zero pollution and biodi\u00adversity compo\u00adnents of the EGD have not yet been the subject of much debate.<\/p>\n

    Increasing the energy produc\u00adtivity of its economy lies very much in Ukraine\u2019s interest and the country is facing a need to modernise its production base in all sectors. Thus, there are strong drivers for environ\u00admental moderni\u00adsation<\/strong>, including energy efficiency. The business sector is inter\u00adested in obtaining state support to help modernise production facil\u00adities and is not prepared to cover moderni\u00adsation costs through private investment alone.<\/p>\n

    Ukraine has made signif\u00adicant progress in reforming its energy sector since 2014. There is a need for further incen\u00adtives for reform in other areas: agriculture, transport, environment, climate change, chemicals, industry.<\/p>\n

    Most of the reforms have been driven by the EU-Ukraine Associ\u00adation Agreement with the help of inter\u00adna\u00adtional technical assis\u00adtance. For example, Ukraine has made progress in liber\u00adal\u00adising its energy markets. The share in electricity produced from renew\u00adables increased from 6.2% in 2016 to 12.4% in 2020. The EGD may promote these and other reforms and the decar\u00adbon\u00adi\u00adsation of the national economy, in particular by greening foreign investment by inter\u00adna\u00adtional financial institutions.<\/p>\n

    Ukraine has made insti\u00adtu\u00adtional arrange\u00adments specific to the EGD in reaction to the oppor\u00adtu\u00adnities and threats emerging for Ukraine. In 2020, the Government of Ukraine set up a coordi\u00adnation body specif\u00adi\u00adcally to address climate change within the EGD initiative. In 2021, a special working group was estab\u00adlished to deal with CBAM and ensure dialogue with the European Commission regarding the draft regulation.<\/p>\n

    Further liber\u00adal\u00adi\u00adsation of energy markets, as well as signif\u00adicant progress in other sectoral reforms, must be coupled with mainstreaming decar\u00adbon\u00adi\u00adsation throughout all sectors. All reforms in the EGD-related sectors will require systematic revision of the relevant national legis\u00adlation, capacity building and investment in infra\u00adstructure in order to fully implement EU acquis.<\/p>\n

    In principle, macro-economic aid and other assis\u00adtance are condi\u00adtioned on carrying through key reforms. Imple\u00admen\u00adtation the EU-Ukraine Associ\u00adation Agreement is subject to continuous monitoring and the results are publicly available. Macro-economic and technical assis\u00adtance are usually subject to specific condi\u00adtions related to specific reforms, such as anti-corruption reforms.<\/p>\n

    What is the perspective for the future?<\/h2>\n

    All fields encom\u00adpassed by the EGD are covered by the provi\u00adsions of the EU-Ukraine Associ\u00adation Agreement, which means that successful imple\u00admen\u00adtation of the Associ\u00adation Agreement will enhance Ukraine\u2019s prospects in the EGD context. <\/strong>The upcoming revision (update) of the Associ\u00adation Agreement will strengthen Ukraine\u2019s progress towards the EGD objec\u00adtives, as well as  improve the prospects for a greater involvement of the country in the EGD processes in the EU.<\/p>\n

    The EGD creates a wide scope for mutually beneficial alignment<\/strong> of Ukraine\u2019s policy and legis\u00adlation with relevant EU policies and legis\u00adlation, as well as cooper\u00adation between Ukraine and the EU in key areas of the EGD. The EGD commu\u00adni\u00adcation itself and other imple\u00admenting policy documents contain specific refer\u00adences to priority cooper\u00adation countries, and to Ukraine in particular. For example, the EU Hydrogen Strategy mentions Ukraine as a key partners. Ukraine already partic\u00adi\u00adpates in a number of green alliances (European Raw Materials Alliance, European Clean Hydrogen Alliance).<\/p>\n

    The EU has a general new proposal for its Neigh\u00adbourhood Policy, while Ukraine and other associ\u00adation countries express the need for special \u201ctrio\u201d approach, including with regard to to the EGD. It is very important to engage the EaP countries into discus\u00adsions on the EGD in the EU to build the co-ownership of the process<\/strong>, including by taking into account specific circum\u00adstances in each country.<\/p>\n

    Ukraine is willing to agree on an EGD roadmap<\/strong> with the EU, as are the Balkan countries. The devel\u00adopment and imple\u00admen\u00adtation of such a roadmap could provide new impetus for a green trans\u00adfor\u00admation of Ukraine and support the EU\u2019s own green transition. The EU and Ukraine should launch flagship initia\u00adtives<\/strong> \u2013 mutually beneficial strategic partner\u00adships or projects on specific issues, including climate gover\u00adnance archi\u00adtecture, energy poverty eradi\u00adcation, climate-oriented agriculture, hydrogen, Ukraine\u2019s partic\u00adi\u00adpation in green alliances, devel\u00adopment of a Natura 2000+ cluster to support biodi\u00adversity protection in Europe. The EU and its member-states should support Ukraine\u2019s integration into new green production chains<\/strong> through indus\u00adtrial dialogue, infor\u00admation exchange, support for invest\u00adments in green innovation and infra\u00adstructure. This will promote the integration of Ukraine\u2019s businesses into the new green system of the EU. Separate flagship initia\u00adtives could target green cities, green commu\u00adnities, and more generally citizens of Ukraine (e.g. European Climate Pact and New European Bauhaus).<\/p>\n

    \n

    Nataliya Andru\u00adsevych,
    \n<\/em>Chair of the Governing Board, Resource and Analysis Center \u201cSociety and Environment\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

    Gef\u00f6rdert durch:<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    <\/i><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

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