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A high-level Ukraine-EU dialogue on the issues of Ecology and Climate Change was launched during the working visit of Mr. Eduard Stavytskyi, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine, to Brussels. 20.07.2012
Mr. Eduard
Stavytskyi,
Minister of Ecology and Natural
Resources of Ukraine, paid his
first visit to the European
institutions in Brussels on 19 July 2012. Mr. Vladyslav Iakubowskyi, Head of the
State Environmental Investment Agency of Ukraine, joined
the Minister on the visit.
During the visit the Ukrainian
delegation held three very important
meetings: with Mr. Janez Potočnik, European Commissioner
for the Environment, Ms. Connie Hedegaard, European Commissioner
for Climate Action, and Mr.
Melchior Wathelet, Secretary of State
for Environment, Energy, Mobility and Institutional Reform of the
Kingdom of Belgium.
At the
meeting with EU Commissioner for Environment J. Potočnik the
parties launched a high level Ukraine-EU dialogue on environment.
Prospects
of further deepening and intensification of cooperation between Ukraine and the
EU in the sphere of ecology and the environment Protection, to be opened with
conclusion of the Association agremeent, were also discussed.
Eduard
Stavytskyi briefed J.Potocnik on progress in the implementation of the National
Strategy of Ukraine and National Action Plan on Environmental Protection for
2011-2015 and thanked the EU side for the respective budget support.
Prospects
for the establishment of a non-governmental Regional Environmental Centre of
Ukraine in order to promote public awareness about the environment and enhance
the role of the civil society in this matter were also discussed.
The
parties touched upon fulfillment by Ukraine of its commitments within
multilateral agreements, namely ESPOO and Aarhus Conventions, and had an
exchange of views on the outcome of recent UN “Rio+20” Conference.
Eduard
Stavytskyi extended an invitation to Janez Potočnik to
visit Ukraine at his convenience.
During
the meeting with the EU Commissioner for Climate Action Connie Hedegaard,
parties had a constructive dialogue regarding the second
commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol.
The
Ukrainian delegation reaffirmed Ukraine's realistic position and reported Ukraine's
readiness to assume a long-term commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by
50% by 2050 compared to 1990 baseline.
On the
occasion, the Minister of Ecology
extended an invitation to the EU Commissioner
for Climate Action to
visit Ukraine at her convenience.
Prospects
of future cooperation in the sphere of environment and implementation of the UN
Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol were discussed
during the meeting with the Secretary of State for Environment, Energy,
Mobility and Institutional Reform of the Kingdom of Belgium Melchior Wathelet.
It
should be noted that these were the first meetings of sectoral
High Officials in the history of relationship between the EU and Ukraine, providing
the basis for the development of future bilateral relations in the context of European
integration processes.
Kathrine Kravchenko