Lithuania’s Foreign Vice-Minister Šatūnas: Perseverance and creativity raised Lithuania’s participation in Ukraine’s reconstruction projects to unseen highs
On 13 November, an inter-institutional working group on Lithuania’s involvement in Ukraine’s reconstruction and recovery met to discuss the progress of Ukraine’s reconstruction projects and programmes implemented by Lithuania. At the meeting, an opening of a branch of the Lithuanian Central Project Management Agency (CPVA) in Ukraine was also announced.
Working group devoted special attention to the priority program dedicated to rehabilitation and reintegration into society of the persons injured and otherwise affected by the war. Procurement for the reconstruction of infrastructure facilities is ongoing, and “soft” programme activities are actively implemented. Since the beginning of November, Lviv has hosted training for rehabilitologists, including doctors from Lithuania. It will be the first practical training session certified by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. On the basis of this training, standardised post-university training programmes for rehabilitologists will be developed to help ensure high-quality treatment and healthcare services for people affected by war.
Lithuania’s support for Ukraine’s accession process into the European Union was also presented at the meeting. The expertise accumulated in the context of the bilateral project allowed Lithuania to secure the country’s leading position in the large-scale European integration programme initiated by the European Union Delegation to Ukraine. Members of the group discussed the management of the process and risks related to the lack of human resources and the improvement of inter-institutional coordination.
Since the beginning of Russia’s war against Ukraine, Lithuania has gained valuable experience and good practices through the implementation of reconstruction projects. The CPVA uses innovative methods in reconstruction processes (e.g. recycling rubble in construction according to the circular economy principle) that comply with construction standards in line with EU regulations. It was announced that the Lithuania-initiated adaptive technical project ‘The Future School for Ukraine’ would be prepared in March of next year when the main task would be to mobilise the support of other donors for the construction of such a school. The school will be energy-efficient and autonomous, in line with the principles of the New European Bauhaus. It was pointed out that the shelters built by Lithuania in Ukraine not only served their direct purpose but were also used as underground schools and gathering places for young people and communities.
The CPVA informed about the initiative to establish a branch in Ukraine and the concrete steps taken.
“We see that the capacities of the Lithuanian Embassy in Ukraine and the regular business trips of CPVA people to Ukraine are no longer sufficient. The Kyiv branch of the CPVA is necessary for the management and implementation of national and EU projects at this level. It is a common practice in the EU countries,” Šatūnas said.
It was the last meeting of the working group in this composition, chaired by Šatūnas. The Foreign Vice-Minister thanked all members of the group for their active and consistent work for the reconstruction of Ukraine over the last years and wished to continue the work until the victory of Ukraine and beyond. “I hope that this group will continue its work and that the Lithuanian institutions will achieve even better synergies in the implementation of projects in Ukraine,” Šatūnas said.
The inter-institutional working group was established in March 2024. It has 11 representatives from Lithuanian institutions and is chaired by the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, who oversees development cooperation issues.