Ukrainian Signatories Explore Bavarian Innovations for Sustainable Development

With the support of Covenant of Mayors – East (CoM East), signatories from across Ukraine took part in a knowledge exchange and capacity building visit to Regensburg, Bavaria, from 19 to 21 May 2025. The study tour focused on environmental research, sustainable infrastructure, and European funding opportunities—bringing together municipal representatives, utilities, academia, and civil society.

Over three days, participants engaged in thematic roundtables and panel discussions on energy efficiency, water supply, waste management, and climate adaptation. Experts from the Bavarian Research Alliance (BayFOR), GIZ, and the Covenant of Mayors – East shared insights into political frameworks and innovative partnerships, with a strong emphasis on EU funding programmes such as Horizon Europe, LIFE, and Interreg.

Participants visited cutting-edge facilities and technologies, including Bavaria’s leading wind power tower manufacturer Max Bögl, one of the region’s most advanced waste incineration plants, biogas installations at wastewater treatment sites, and solar and energy storage pilot projects.

For Drohobych, the visit offered a crucial opportunity to explore climate-friendly technologies and build links with international partners.

“This is a unique chance to bring back real-world solutions that can be implemented locally,” said Yurii Yatskiv from Drohobych. “We visited several remarkable environmental projects, including a floating solar power plant on a lake. But the most impressive was the waste-to-energy plant—one of the largest and most advanced in the region. It processes waste without polluting the environment—no odours, no visible emissions.”

The Pustomyty territorial community also actively contributed to the event.

“We had the opportunity to present our work in the area of water infrastructure development and invited German partners to cooperate with our municipality,” noted Oleh Serniak, Head of the Pustomyty Territorial Community. “The technical visits—especially to the purification plants and pipe rehabilitation facilities—were eye-opening in terms of what is achievable with the right partnerships and funding.”

On the final day, Ukrainian and German stakeholders held strategic planning sessions to define next steps for joint projects. The event closed with a shared commitment to continue cooperation and submit proposals to relevant EU funding calls.

For the Ukrainian signatories the exchange was a vital step in strengthening municipal capacities, accelerating the green transition, and turning shared environmental goals into tangible, community-level action