Finland finances environmental security in Ukraine from development cooperation appropriations

The destruction caused by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has further increased the importance of environmental security. Environmental cooperation is one of the priorities of Finland’s development cooperation in Ukraine, and it is financed from development cooperation appropriations administered by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has already caused extensive destruction and damage to the environment and may lead to unprecedented environmental pollution and destruction of ecosystems. Environmental damage is not limited to the battlefields. Its impacts are already being felt not only in Ukraine’s neighbouring areas but globally. Environmental damage does not remain within national borders.

Support responds to Ukraine’s needs and promotes Finnish environmental expertise 

Finland uses development cooperation appropriations administered by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs to support projects in Ukraine that monitor the state of the environment, measure damage inflicted by the war and support early warning systems and the convergence of Ukraine’s environmental legislation and administration with that of the EU. 

Cooperation partners include the Finnish Meteorological Institute, Finland’s Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, the Finnish Environment Institute, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Nordic Environment Finance Corporation, the United Nations Environment Programme and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.   

Key to the work is using the expertise of the Finnish authorities and businesses and cooperating with civil society. The projects will provide visibility to Finnish environmental expertise and may also open up commercial opportunities for Finnish environmental, water and weather technologies. 

“Finland has strong expertise in areas such as clean energy and construction waste treatment and water treatment. I encourage Finnish businesses to participate in the reconstruction of Ukraine, which we are supporting through various financial instruments. More information about these instruments is available from Finland’s national plan for the reconstruction of Ukraine,” says Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio.

Environmental cooperation is part of Ukrainian Peace Formula

Environmental cooperation is based on the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Finnish and Ukrainian environmental ministries in March 2023 and on the Ukrainian Peace Formula’s focus on the immediate protection of the environment and the importance of producing information on war-induced environmental damage.

At Ukraine’s request, Finland hosted a meeting on the Environmental Security, which is point eight of the Ukrainian Peace Formula, on Saturday 19 October. The meeting promoted environmental security and accountability for environmental damage.

The meeting discussed environmental security issues as part of Ukraine’s ten-point Peace Formula. Finland serves as co-chair of the Peace Formula working group on Environmental Security together with Germany and Bulgaria. 

Finland’s strong contribution to the environmental sector is based on long-term bilateral cooperation. 
Finland and Ukraine will continue their established cooperation in environmental security in accordance with the security cooperation agreement concluded between Finland and Ukraine in spring 2024.

Ukraine is Finland’s largest partner country in development cooperation. Finland’s development cooperation budget for 2024–2028 is EUR 290 million.