Nature restoration should be part of Ukraine’s recovery package – European commissioner

Besides creating enormous human suffering and destruction, russian aggression against Ukraine has caused environmental damage, so restoring natural resources must be part of the country's post-war recovery.

European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginius Sinkevičius stated this today in Brussels during a press conference following the results of the EU Council of Ministers on Environmental Protection, Ukrinform reports.

"I want to note the Polish report presented (at the meeting – ed.) on the damage the russian invasion caused to the Carpathian region. In addition to the unacceptable human cost of this invasion, the natural environment also suffers from ongoing (russian – ed.) aggression. Ensuring that nature restoration is part of Ukraine's recovery package will be important. In this context, the EU LIFE program will play an important role," said the European Commissioner.

The EU launched the LIFE program in 1992 to finance numerous projects in the field of environmental protection. The total budget of this European program is 5.4 billion euros for 2021-2027. These funds are intended for funding nature and biodiversity conservation, circular economy and quality of life, climate change mitigation, and clean energy transition.