Reforming the energy sector is one of the main challenges of post-Maidan Ukraine. For many years, Ukraine has been struggling with its Soviet industrial and energy-intensive heritage, remaining to this day one of the least energy-efficient countries in Europe. However, since the Euromaidan revolution, the country has embarked on a series of ambitious reforms. This year alone, the Verkhovna Rada has passed several crucial laws setting European standards for electricity market, energy performance of buildings, financing energy efficiency renovations in the residential sector, as well as metering of heating and water in buildings, amongst others. Civil society has been actively involved in the process of reforms: monitoring, analyzing and initiating crucial state policies. Furthermore, many Ukrainian cities have shown recently that a sustainable energy policy can also be realized at the local level, providing visible economic and environmental benefits to everyone. However, energy wasting and corruption are not out of the picture, and populists are trying to take advantage of high energy tariffs. What are the main challenges and opportunities in this energy reform process? Which role international partners and civil society actors play in the transformation of the energy sector of Ukraine? What needs to be done for Ukraine to succeed in its energy transition?

10.00 Registration

11.00 Welcoming remarks

Stefanie Schiffer, Director of the European Exchange, Berlin

Andreas Prothmann, Special Envoy for Ukraine, Head of the Task Force Ukraine, Federal Foreign Office

11.10-14.00 Progress in the Reforms on Energy Efficiency in Ukraine?

11.10 Introductory remarks

Torsten Wöllert, Team Leader, Energy & Environment, Support Group for Ukraine (SGUA), European Commission, Brussels

Jürgen Keinhorst, Head of Division for Co-operation with Eastern European Countries, Central Asia and South Caucasus, the Middle East and North Africa,  Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB)

11.30 Discussion

Krzysztof Gierulski, DG Energy & Environment, Support Group for Ukraine (SGUA), European Commission, Brussels

Rebecca Harms, MEP, the Greens/EFA Group, European Parliament, Brussels

Vitaliy Stashuk, Member of the Verkhovna Rada, “People´s Front” faction, Ukraine

Sophia Lynn, Financial Sector Specialist, International Finance Corporation, Kyiv

Andrii Zheleznyi, former Leader of the National Ecological Centre of Ukraine (NECU), expert of the RPR Group on Energy Reform

Anna Ackermann, Head of Climate Department, Centre of Environmental Initiatives “Ecoaction”, Manager of the Energy Policy Reform Group, RPR, Kyiv

Svyatoslav Pavlyuk, Executive Director of the Association “Energy Efficient Cities of Ukraine”

Moderator: Komila Nabiyeva, Energy Watch Group, Berlin

14.00 Reception

 

Working language: English

Please find the complete video of the discussion here.

Photo album of the event.