D2R project presented at EU Green Week 2026 in Brussels

In June 2026, Brussels hosted the public discussion “Nature-Positive Recovery: Ukraine’s Green Reconstruction and EU Accession” as part of EU Green Week 2026. The event brought together representatives of the European Commission, Ukrainian ministries, international organisations, and civil society to discuss how environmental sustainability can be integrated into Ukraine’s recovery and European integration process.

One of the key topics was the presentation of practical solutions for Ukraine’s green reconstruction. During the discussion, consortium members Iryna Yarmolenko and Jonas Bilund presented the LIFE Debris2Resource: Green Recovery Ukraine (D2R) project and shared the latest results of the work carried out by IRS.

The D2R project, which aims to establish innovative hubs for the recycling and reuse of war-related debris in Ukraine, attracted significant interest from European stakeholders. The project and its progress were presented alongside Marcella McAndrew from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Environment and Yuliia Hrytsak, Director of the Department for European Integration at the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine.

The discussion focused on several strategic priorities for Ukraine’s recovery and EU integration:

• Integrating EU environmental legislation into the practical reconstruction of Ukrainian cities and communities;
• Mobilising green and sustainable financing for long-term environmental projects;
• Scaling practical solutions and flagship initiatives for nature-positive recovery;
• Strengthening cooperation between Ukraine and the European Union through the active involvement of experts, local authorities, and civil society organisations.

The presentation of the D2R project in Brussels highlighted that war-related debris management is not only an environmental challenge but also an important component of Ukraine’s EU accession pathway. By developing practical approaches to circular reconstruction, Ukraine is already creating the foundations for more sustainable, resilient, and European-aligned recovery of its cities and communities.