Lviv region joined the forum “Just transformation 2023: multi-level national dialogue”.
Today, November 9, an all-Ukrainian forum began in Kyiv, the main topic of which was support for structural changes in the coal regions of Ukraine. Among the participants of the event are representatives of coal communities of Ukraine, national and regional state authorities, and international organizations.
Maksym Kozytskyi, head of the Lviv OVA, joined the discussion in an online format.
“Ukraine must abandon coal by 2035. For this purpose, the state is carrying out transformation in the coal regions. However, the closure of mines does not affect a specific community, but the entire region, its economy, infrastructure, and education. Therefore, the development of projects, taking into account all interrelated industries, should not take place several years ahead, but over a decade,” Maksym Kozytskyi emphasized.
In the Lviv region, the transformation of the Chervonograd coal microregion has begun within the framework of the Program “Supporting Structural Changes in the Coal Regions of Ukraine”, which is being implemented by the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Economy and Climate Protection of Germany.
The head of the region singled out the following main aspects that are important in the process of transformation of the Chervonohrad coal microregion:
Development of professional education. When there will be opportunities to acquire other professions, besides the miner and mining master, local residents will be able to reorient themselves to new sectors of the economy. At the regional level, we are working on the development of vocational education. We ask you to introduce reforms and projects of the Cabinet of Ministers and GIZ.
Development of ecological infrastructure. These are projects aimed at solving problems with soil subsidence, mine drainage and atmospheric air pollution.
Development of industrial parks and creation of new jobs. In particular, after closing the mines should not disappear or be looted, they should be turned into zones for economic development of communities, creation of jobs, opening of new businesses.
Involvement of knowledge and experience of foreign partners and regions that have already gone through this process. Lviv Oblast is working to learn from the experience of the German federal state of Saarland, where the last mine was closed in 2012. More projects and cooperation at the Government level are needed so that our regions have opportunities to receive additional funding and experience from foreign funds.
The event was organized with the support of the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine, the Ministry of Reconstruction and the German company GIZ.