With the EU support, Ukraine improves its air quality and waste management legislation

The EU funded project APENA 2 “Support to Ukraine in approximation of the EU environmental acquis (air quality, waste management)” since August 2020 assisting the Government of Ukraine in aligning the Ukrainian legislation in the area of air quality and waste management, announced its closure at its final Steering Committee meeting. 

This technical assistance project, that will officially end its activities on 27 August 2024, was aimed at helping Ukraine to prepare for the implementation of the EU environmental requirements on air quality and waste management, by strengthening legal and institutional systems. During almost four years of implementation, the project provided significant support in the process of alignment with the provisions of the EU acquis to different partners in Ukraine, in particular to the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development, the Cabinet of Ministers, and the Parliament. Apena 2 assisted in drafting of 70 regulatory and legal acts, facilitated the work of Ukrainian public administration with analytical materials and helped to organize consultations on draft legislation with different stakeholders in Ukraine. After the start of the russian full scale military aggression, the project also provided support in formulating the approach on waste management in emergency situations. In addition, the project supported further digitalisation efforts of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine by helping to develop additional layers for the Ministry`s IT Ecosystem supplementing it with the modules on air quality, waste management and environmental damage monitoring. 

"Thanks to APENA 2 for joint work on bringing Ukrainian environmental legislation closer to EU requirements, especially in the field of waste management. We are also grateful for the communication support provided. After all, for the successful implementation of any reform, it is important not only to introduce new rules and laws, but also to communicate their essence to society. Special thanks to the EU Delegation to Ukraine for flexibility in supporting the project in wartime conditions. All these years we worked as a team. We hope that in the future we will have the opportunity to involve experts of this level to cooperation," said Yevhenii Fedorenko, Deputy Minister of Environment Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine for European Integration.

“We are grateful to the Ministry of Environment, the beneficiary, for their long-standing commitment to this project and for integrating the work of APENA 2 into the government’s reform agenda. This project has significantly advanced the country’s preparations for key reforms on its path to EU membership. Ukraine's reconstruction must be closely tied to the accession process, making it essential to accelerate environmental reforms to enable "building back better" in Ukraine. The EU will continue to support Ukraine in these efforts.” – said Mr Jocelin Cornet, Head of Section “Reconstruction, energy, infrastructure, environment”, the EU Delegation to Ukraine.

About the project: 

The EU funded APENA 2 “Support to Ukraine in approximation of the EU environmental acquis (air quality, waste management)” project was implemented from 28 August 2020 until 27 June 2024 with the total budget of EUR 2,8 million. The overall objective of the project was to effectively raise Ukrainian public authorities' capacities in designing and implementing key reforms stemming from the Association Agreement and Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area, including capacity to carry out legal approximation process with the EU and with due account of the urgent needs caused by the full scale Russian invasion. The implementing consortium is led by DAI Global Austria GmbH & Co KG in partnership with KPMG Ukraine, APVA Lithuania, and Expertise Advisors, France.

Media Contact: 

Ivelina Dilovska, DAI Project Director

e-mail: apena2team@gmail.com

APENA2 FB profile: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100075989464676