Green Deal Ukraїna at the Ukraine Recovery Conference
End of June, the Ukraine Recovery Conference (UCR2026) took place in Gdańsk, Poland. Unlike previous editions, URC2026 introduced a dedicated Energy Platform, jointly organised by the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine and the Ministry of Climate and Environment of Poland, which brought together energy-related discussions, announcements, and side events in one place, increasing the visibility and coordination of key energy topics. Green Deal Ukraїna, an initiative coordinated by HZB, organised three events on the sidelines of URC on research and energy topics as part of the conference.
Green Deal Ukraїna organised an event on research, higher education and innovation, with speakers from the European Commission, Germany, Poland and Ukraine. The participants discussed how science, universities and international cooperation can contribute to Ukraine’s reconstruction, resilience and European integration. At this event, Green Deal Ukraїna announced the launch of the “Energy and Climate” Master’s programme at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, which was developed as part of the Kyiv Energy & Climate Lab (KECLab) as an example of successful German-Polish-Ukrainian cooperation.
Energy governance in Ukraine
Together with the International Energy Agency (IEA), the Ukraine Facility Platform, the German-Ukrainian Office and the KECLab, Green Deal Ukraїna organised a closed-door discussion under the Chatham House Rule on the topic of energy governance. The event built on months of work and numerous bilateral consultations with Ukrainian institutions and international partners. The discussion will continue beyond the URC2026, and the results will be incorporated into strategy development.
Contribution by “Green Deal Ukraїna” to the Energy Platform at the URC
Susanne Nies moderated the session “Sustainable Energy Dialogue: Investment Frameworks, Reforms and Market Transformation”, bringing together representatives of industry, international financial institutions and public stakeholders. Key messages included the fact that projects in the areas of decentralised energy generation, battery storage and renewable energy are already moving from the planning stage to implementation, and that Ukraine’s future energy system will increasingly rely on electrification, renewable energy and system flexibility.
About Green Deal Ukraïna:
Green Deal Ukraïna (GDU) is a 4-year project, initiated and coordinated by HZB, and funded by the Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR). The project is a trilateral collaboration between Germany, Ukraine and Poland. GDU aims to empower Ukrainian governmental institutions, policymakers, and society to make informed decisions on energy and climate policy and is developing an independent energy and climate centre in Kyiv – Kyiv Energy and Climate Lab (KECLab), a joint Lab of Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and the National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy (NaUKMA).