FOCUS on our Ukrainian member cities Lviv and Mariupol

Our Ukrainian member cities are engaged at the European and local levels.

Both have signed the Covenant of Mayors and are active members of a number of networks.

Lviv and Mariupol have joined the EBRD Green Cities programme which strives to build a better and more sustainable future for cities and their residents by identifying, prioritising and connecting cities’ environmental challenges with sustainable infrastructure investments and policy measures.

Green City Action Plan

Mariupol aims to address climate change and environmental degradation within the city.

It recently adopted a Green City Action Plan (GCAP) under the EBRD programme to provide assistance with developing the city planning and infrastructure investments needed to overcome obstacles in the field of urban environmental infrastructure.

Mariupol’s objectives are to tackle the challenges of air quality and solid waste management.

Lviv’s GCAP focuses on green municipal investments to improve its wastewater and waste management, water supply, energy in buildings, public transport and land use. By building a greener and more sustainable vision for the future, the city hopes to improve the services it provides to its residents.

Last June, the City of Lviv received the Gold Award for Environmental and Social Best Practices.

Social and environmental innovation

The city has developed 8 municipal projects with the EBRD in all areas of municipal services, including public transport, waste, wastewater treatment and biogas production, district heating and road rehabilitation. Throughout this collaboration, Lviv has consistently placed environmental and social innovation at the top of its agenda: it has led the EBRD’s Green Cities programme in Ukraine, was one of the first municipalities in the country to commit to reducing its CO₂ emissions under the EU Covenant of Mayors and has developed a number of environmental projects.

Once implemented, the municipal projects developed with the EBRD alone are expected to result in CO₂ reductions of 360,000 tonnes per year, which is equivalent to planting 5.9 million trees or taking 76,000 cars off the road. Through piloting new initiatives and projects with the EBRD, the City of Lviv has consistently achieved a significant demonstration effect both in Ukraine and in the entire region.

European level

The Ukrainian network “Energy Efficiency Cities of Ukraine” (EECU) has been a member of Energy Cities for over 10 years. A pioneer in energy efficiency, the network is also active at the European level, notably through the Covenant of Mayors and H2020 PROSPECT, a peer-to-peer learning programme for regional and local authorities to help them finance and implement their sustainable energy and climate plans.