Polish experience useful in Ukraine – sharing knowledge on transition of coal regions

The National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management and the World Bank, in consultation with the European Commission, have established cooperation aimed at exchanging experiences between mining regions of Poland and Ukraine. The aim of the cooperation is to help both countries prepare for energy transition in the coming years. The initiative is part of an international programme which supports countries in creating and implementing socially friendly low-carbon energy. It is a platform for the Western Balkans and Ukraine, which was established in September 2019 under the leadership of the World Bank, with the political leadership of the European Commission (DG ENER, DG NEAR) and conceptional support in the field of economic changes from the Polish government, the former presidency of COP24.

The National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management will coordinate study visits, conferences and meetings organised in Poland by IETU as part of the project “Sharing knowledge on transition of coal regions - study visits of Ukrainian stakeholders to Polish mining regions”. The participation of the Ukrainian party in the exchange of knowledge will be ensured thanks to the funds of the World Bank (ESMAP and EGPS trust funds) and cooperation with the European Commission.

Representatives of the Ukrainian public and private sectors will meet with representatives of Polish cities, i.a. in the Silesian Voivodship, to talk about experiences in the field of transition processes as well as regulatory, organisational, economic, social, spatial and environmental challenges the individual mining regions may face.

“Poland understands perfectly well what the different starting points mean when it comes to the energy transition and how they affect the pace at which we are moving towards a common goal. We are aware of the importance of past decisions which made the industrial development of our country dependent on a narrow range of possibilities. Poland has experienced complex processes required for carrying out major economic and political changes which our country has successfully undergone in the last 30 years, said Deputy Minister Adam Guibourgé-Czetwertyński - I am deeply convinced that this undertaking - implemented in the spirit of solidarity, so important to Poles - will help Ukraine better prepare for the upcoming challenges, required for carrying out the transition process in the coming years”.

In the inauguration of the platform the following parties took part: Artur Lorkowski - the Vice President of the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, Arup Banerji - Regional Director of the World Bank for Ukraine, Marcus Bernhard Heinz  - Representative of the World Bank for Poland and the Baltic States, Catharina Sikow - Director of the Internal Energy Market in the General Directorate for Energy (European Commission) and Walentyna Moskalenko - Advisor to the Prime Minister of Ukraine for Regional Policy.

Piotr Cofałka - Deputy Director of IETU for Research and Development in his presentation “Transformation of post-mining areas. The practical dimension of activities undertaken in Upper Silesia region” presented examples of successful transformations of post-mining areas in Silesia.

See the film - Official inauguration of the knowledge exchange program between Polish and Ukrainian coal regions - launch of cooperation program

More information about the meeting can be found on the website of the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management (NFOŚiGW)

The most frequently asked questions about the Platform for Mining Regions in the Western Balkans and Ukraine