The U_CAN Project on the International Stage: Yuliya Chufistova Presented Climate Initiatives under the U_CAN Project during the REBIRTH OF UKRAINE Trade Mission to Finland and the Baltic Countries

From 6 to 14 May 2026, a Ukrainian delegation took part in the large-scale REBIRTH OF UKRAINE trade mission to Finland and the Baltic Countries – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The delegation comprised 31 representatives of municipalities and businesses from across Ukraine, from the western to the southern and eastern regions.

During this strategic visit, Yuliya Chufistova, member of the Presidium of the Mayors’ Club Ukraine and Director of the UMEDA Development Agency, presented the U_CAN (Ukraine towards Carbon Neutrality) project – an initiative under the Horizon Europe program aimed at integrating Ukrainian cities into the European Green Deal agenda and supporting municipalities on their path to achieving climate neutrality by 2050.

The centrepiece of the U_CAN project presentation for the European audience was Yuliya Chufistova’s pitch at the UA-FI Economic Recovery Business Forum, held on 7 May in Helsinki. The Forum brought together around 300 participants from Ukraine and Finland, including the Association of Finnish Municipalities, heads of Finnish municipalities, top managers of Finnish companies from various industries, and representatives of financial institutions, investment funds, and international organisations. In her address, Yuliya Chufistova presented the mission of the U_CAN project – to bridge the gap in knowledge, expertise, and practical tools needed for Ukrainian cities to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. Particular emphasis was placed on aligning the strategies and standards of Ukrainian municipalities with the climate policy of the European Union and on integrating Ukrainian cities into the European sustainable development agenda. The U_CAN project is implemented under the EU Missions: Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities initiative and is funded by the European Union.

A dedicated part of Yuliya Chufistova’s address focused on the six pilot cities of the U_CAN project, which already today demonstrate different models of transition to climate neutrality and can serve as platforms for international cooperation and the scaling of innovative solutions.

• Lviv is implementing the concept of positive energy districts (neighbourhoods with a positive energy balance) and is also conducting a comprehensive analysis of opportunities to integrate the city into the policies and strategies of the European Green Deal.
• Kyiv is focusing on a substantial reduction of transport emissions through the reorganisation of the urban transport network, including the use of a system of road tunnels and modern approaches to mobility.
• Zhytomyr is developing renewable energy, expanding green areas, and reducing its carbon footprint. One of its key solutions is a floating solar power plant and the introduction of nature-based solutions to improve air quality and enhance the city’s climate resilience.
• Khmelnytskyi is working on creating an adaptive traffic management algorithm intended to ensure effective environmental, social, and climate management and to increase the sustainability of urban infrastructure.
• Vinnytsia is shaping a socio-spatial development concept for part of the small Tiazhylivka River and is developing a strategy to restore its biodiversity as an element of a sustainable urban ecosystem.
• Ivano-Frankivsk is moving towards climate neutrality through the introduction of green technologies in public buildings and the modernisation of municipal infrastructure.

An integral part of the presentation was the introduction to the European audience of the U_CAN consortium – a powerful international coalition that provides the scientific, expert, and institutional foundation for implementing the project. All forum participants were invited to join the project’s partners and to help expand this initiative.

In addition, to foster cross-border exchange of experience, solutions, and expertise and to build new cooperation in implementing climate-neutral strategies, targeted visits were organised during the trade mission to the Ämmässuo eco-industrial centre, Helen Oy (the municipal energy company of the city of Helsinki), and the Vantaa Energia Waste-to-Energy Plant. At each location, the Ukrainian delegation had the opportunity to gain first-hand insight into the practical solutions that form the basis of the Nordic model of sustainable development and the circular economy, while Yuliya Chufistova presented the U_CAN project to European partners as a platform for scaling such solutions in Ukrainian municipalities and invited Finnish partners to join the cooperation.

After the conclusion of the trade mission in Finland, the presentation of the U_CAN project continued in the Baltic Countries. In Estonia, the Ukrainian delegation held a meeting with representatives of the Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Association of Estonian Cities and Municipalities – among the country’s most active institutions responsible for cooperation projects with Ukraine. The format of the meeting made it possible to focus on the practical points of intersection between the climate neutrality agenda of Ukrainian cities and the partnership priorities of the Ukrainian and Estonian sides.

In Latvia, an event was held in cooperation with the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The event became an important platform for the systematic presentation of the U_CAN project to a broad range of Latvian businesses, municipal stakeholders, and development institutions. In her address, Yuliya Chufistova emphasised the development of sister-city partnerships between Ukrainian and Latvian cities as a tool for long-term municipal interaction and the exchange of experience. As part of the trade mission, a meeting was also held with the director of the Riga City Council, who noted that the Latvian capital currently aspires to become the first climate-neutral city in the Baltic Countries, and that for this very reason it is taking part in the EU Mission: Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities and has already received the EU Mission Label.

In Lithuania, the Ukrainian delegation took part in a large-scale event organised with the participation of the Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists and the Innovation Agency Lithuania – two key institutions that shape the country’s industrial and innovation policy. The Lithuanian audience is especially relevant for U_CAN, as Lithuania is actively integrating its cities into the European climate neutrality agenda and possesses strong expertise in green technologies, energy modernisation, and the digitalisation of municipal governance. In addition, during the trade mission to Lithuania, the delegation visited key municipal companies in Vilnius whose experience is directly relevant to the U_CAN pilot cities:

• Vilniaus vandenys – the largest water resources management company in Lithuania, owned by the municipalities of Vilnius (87.05%) and the Vilnius, Švenčionys, and Šalčininkai districts, serving more than 600,000 residents and supplying 99,000 m³ of drinking water and treating 116,000 m³ of wastewater every day – demonstrates the integration of climate resilience directly into municipal infrastructure.
• Gijos – the largest district heating supplier in Lithuania. The company operates a €10 million green hydrogen production plant capable of generating up to 3.45 million m³ of hydrogen per year through electrolysis. The hydrogen produced is intended to power Vilnius’s hydrogen public transport buses, while surplus heat from production will be integrated into the city’s district heating system. The company is also investing in one of the country’s largest electricity storage projects based on artificial intelligence technologies.

In summary, the REBIRTH OF UKRAINE trade mission demonstrated that the U_CAN project is already positioned today as one of the key platforms for engagement between Ukrainian cities and European institutions in the field of climate neutrality and sustainable urban development.