The German government has provided 19 million euros to support Ukrainian communities whose economies were built around mines and coal-fired power plants. The assistance will be channeled through the European Investment Bank's Just Transition and Resilience program JTR-U.
The EIB announced Germany's contribution in July 2025. As Andriy Tabinskyi, executive director of the Association of Coal Communities of Ukraine, told "Left Bank," the assistance will be non-repayable.
The first competitions for communities are expected in early 2027. They are to be announced by the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Internally Displaced Persons of Ukraine after signing an agreement with the EIB. The ministry will select projects and recommend them to the bank for financing.
Communities will be able to submit projects for financing related to water supply, own electricity generation, insulation and modernization of hospitals and other public buildings. Applicants are local self-government bodies and municipal institutions.
According to preliminary terms, the assistance will cover 77% of the project cost, and the community must contribute the remaining 23%. There are plans to finance projects worth from 500 thousand euros, but smaller ones will also be able to receive support. It is important that they comprehensively solve the problem: for example, provide for the modernization of a hospital department rather than the repair of a single office.
Communities are already preparing for future competitions. In Lviv, on November 3–6, training sessions are being held for representatives of 22 coal communities from seven regions of Ukraine. The training is conducted by experts from the international consulting network PwC with financial support from GIZ within the Power4Just Transition project, in cooperation with the Association of Coal Communities of Ukraine. Participants are learning to calculate budgets and prepare financing applications.