Promises or commitments? Fifty shades of green at the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2026
“Green recovery” has become mainstream language at the Ukraine Recovery Conference, but what does green actually mean in practice? Looking back at URC 2026 in Gdańsk, the authors explore stronger civil society and municipal engagement alongside an increasingly pragmatic, business-oriented recovery agenda, and argue that environmental safeguards, social concerns and sustainable solutions need a much stronger place in the debate.
Billions for reconstruction: how not to finance projects that harm the environment
As Ukraine directs billions of euros towards reconstruction, environmental safeguards will be crucial to ensuring that public investment does not create costly problems for the future. The article examines how the EU’s “Do No Significant Harm” principle is applied, where Ukraine’s current approach falls short, and what practical lessons from European experience could make environmental criteria a meaningful part of selecting reconstruction projects.