Post by European Environment Agency

Ласкаво просимо, Україно! Welcome, Ukraine! 🇺🇦 Ukraine has today joined the EEA and Eionet as a cooperating country — the eighth nation to do so, bringing our network to 32 member and 8 cooperating countries across Europe. This milestone, formally endorsed by the EEA Management Board, is grounded in the EU–Ukraine Association Agreement and the EU enlargement framework. Ukraine has been an EU membership candidate since June 2022, and today's decision reflects the shared commitment to building the environmental data and institutional foundations that European integration requires. Ukraine faces significant environmental challenges — including the extensive damage to land, water systems, air quality and protected areas caused by Russia's ongoing war of aggression. Cooperation on environmental monitoring, data and assessment is both a practical necessity and an act of European solidarity. 🗣️ Oleksii Sobolev, Ukraine's Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture: "Welcoming Ukraine into the EEA/Eionet family is a recognition of that commitment and a practical investment in the environmental resilience of the whole continent." 🗣️ Commissioner Jessika Roswall: "A country that continues to advance its alignment with EU environmental standards while enduring the devastation of war deserves our full support." 🗣️ Leena Yla-Mononen, EEA Executive Director: "Environmental challenges know no borders, and cooperation is essential to address them effectively." 🗣️ André Weidenhaupt, Chair of the EEA Management Board: "This step brings us closer than ever to a truly united European environmental community." 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eU2k3Pe2 #Eionet #Ukraine #Environment #EUEnlargement The EEA is also working together with Georgia in the context of the Energy Community project.