The European Environment Agency (EEA) and the European Environment Information and Observation Network (Eionet) today welcomed Ukraine as a Partner Country, expanding the EEA network to 32 Member States and 8 Partner Countries across Europe.
The EEA Management Board has officially approved Ukraine’s status as a Partner Country of the EEA and Eionet. Ukraine has become the eighth EEA Partner Country, joining the Republic of Moldova and partners from the Western Balkans – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo.
Like all European countries, Ukraine faces pressing environmental challenges – from climate change and air pollution to biodiversity loss and the need to protect water resources. In addition to the enormous human suffering and losses, Russia’s aggressive war has caused extensive damage to Ukraine’s land resources, water systems, air quality and protected areas. The destruction of livelihoods and the environment is an inherent consequence of war, and its impact is not limited to national borders. Addressing these consequences is a common European concern, and this cooperation reflects this reality.
This cooperation is based on the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement and the EU enlargement framework. Ukraine applied for membership of the European Union in February 2022 and was officially granted EU candidate status in June 2022. The EEA Board has decided to grant Ukraine Partner Country status with targeted funding from the European Commission.
Building on previous project cooperation (2010-2020), including Ukraine’s participation as a Contracting Party to the Energy Community since 2011, today’s approval marks a new phase of structured cooperation within the EEA and Eionet.
EEA Integration Roadmap
Partner countries can join the Agency’s activities and become part of Eionet. Like Member States, they contribute to and benefit from shared environmental data, assessments and capacity-building activities, which will contribute to improved environmental governance and evidence-based policy-making across Europe. Eionet is composed of EEA Member and Partner countries. The 32 Member States include the 27 EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey.
Cooperation between the EEA and Ukraine aims to support Ukraine in building the institutional and technical foundations for future integration into Eionet, to develop a roadmap for reporting on environmental data in line with approximation to the EU environmental legislation (acquis), and to gradually involve Ukraine in EEA systems, networks and knowledge platforms.
* More information at the link https://www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/ukraine/eea-and-eionet-welcome-ukraine-cooperating-country_en?s=232