The environment ministers of Bulgaria and Ukraine signed a memorandum of cooperation

The Minister of Environment and Water Yulian Popov and the Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine Ruslan Strylets today signed a memorandum of cooperation between the two institutions in the field of environmental protection.

Bulgaria and Ukraine will join forces in the development of environmentally friendly technologies. Experts in the two ministries will work together in the field of sustainable water management and flood protection, waste management and air quality, as well as nature and biodiversity protection. The memorandum of cooperation also laid down common actions in the field of geology and minerals, chemical management and rehabilitation of contaminated sites, as well as prevention of industrial pollution.

Today, during an event in the pavilion of Ukraine within the framework of COP28, Minister Yulian Popov expressed Bulgaria's support and accession to the international Declaration on the Environment (Declaration from Kyiv in the field of the environment). The draft Kyiv Declaration directs efforts to develop an international mechanism for calculating the ecological damage of wars in fulfillment of the tasks set out in Pillar 8 "Environmental Security" - one of the ten pillars of the "Formula for Peace" initiative of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.

The event, which was hosted by Ruslan Strilets, was attended by Minister Julian Popov, as well as the Ministers of Ecology of Slovenia, Finland, New Zealand, Sweden, Lithuania and others.

The countries that joined the declaration support Ukraine's sovereignty, condemn Russian aggression and promote the creation of a compensation mechanism for transboundary environmental impacts. The declaration emphasizes the need to demilitarize the nuclear power plant and calls for global cooperation in assessing and preventing environmental damage.