Head of the Office of the Danish Embassy spoke about the priorities of support for Mykolaiv

The head of the Danish Embassy's office spoke about the priorities for supporting Mykolaiv. Photo: NikVesti

Denmark will allocate about 224 million euros to restore Mykolaiv region as part of a new support programme for Ukraine. The main focus will be on rebuilding the region's infrastructure and strengthening the resilience of Mykolaiv.

Jakob Hansen, Head of the Danish Embassy's office in Mykolaiv, spoke about this during his lecture at the Ukrainian-Danish Youth House on 13 September. The event was held as part of the You&EU Festival, dedicated to the Day of Mykolaiv, a correspondent of NikVesti reports.

He recalled that over the previous three years, Denmark has already provided assistance to the city and region worth about 213.2 million euros. The main focus then was on the most urgent needs — the restoration of critical infrastructure.

«These included water, electricity, heating, demining, shelter and the rehabilitation of hospitals. These were the most urgent needs for these years. And we will continue to work with these sectors,» explained Jakob Hansen.

The amount of aid that Denmark has allocated to Mykolaiv in 2022-2025. Photo: data provided by Jakob Hansen

According to the Danish representative, the country has changed its approach to supporting Ukraine over the years.

«In the previous three years, this assistance was very urgent. We distributed it in «packages». Ukraine has already got used to the fact that there is a «aid package». «The» packages are tanks, or first aid kits, or ammunition. This was our course of action in 2022-2023. In 2024, we changed our focus to larger and more comprehensive programmes. We started helping the Ukrainian side directly instead of just giving them what we had in our warehouses. We are implementing more complex projects, such as restoring water supply in Mykolaiv. We understand that you can't build a country with «packages». It is impossible to restore what has been destroyed with generators and first aid kits,» he stressed.

During a lecture by Jakob Hansen at the Ukrainian-Danish Youth House. Photo: «_nikvesti»

During a lecture by Jakob Hansen at the Ukrainian-Danish Youth House. Photo: «_nikvesti»

The head of the Danish Embassy in Mykolaiv also focused on the new programme to support Ukraine's resilience. As part of the Ukraine Transition Programme, 60% of the total budget of €375 million will be allocated to the restoration of the Mykolaiv region. As usual, Denmark will implement all projects through international partners, not directly through local authorities.

«We work through partners. As an embassy, we cannot implement complex projects on our own. We do this with the help of international organisations with which we have been cooperating for several years. We do not transfer money directly to the Ukrainian side yet — these are our conditions. But we are preparing for the fact that in the future, perhaps in a few years, we will be able to directly help local authorities implement large-scale projects. Both the Head of the RMA and the Mayor of Mykolaiv agree with this approach,» said Jakob Hansen.

The focus of the new programme is on restoring critical infrastructure and improving the quality of life of Mykolaiv residents.

The main areas of support for Mykolaiv in the Resilience Programme for 2025-2028. Photo: NikVesti

One of the biggest challenges for Mykolaiv is the lack of stable and high-quality water supply. Denmark is allocating €45 million to build new water treatment plants in the city. The project will be implemented through the European Investment Bank.

«As you know, the new water supply system is currently being built at public expense. And we will focus on the internal network of Mykolaiv and the construction of modern water treatment plants,» explained Jakob Hansen.

Denmark will also focus on supporting other critical needs of the region. According to Jakob Hansen, these include individual heating systems, stable heating and energy efficiency. 45 million euros will also be allocated for this purpose. The Nordic Environment Finance Corporation(NEFCO) has been entrusted with the work in this area.

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20 million euros will be spent on the modernisation of social facilities: hospitals, schools, shelters, and the purchase of necessary equipment for the community. The project will be implemented by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS).

«These are hospitals, schools, shelters and all the equipment that we are handing over to the community. We will continue to do so,» said the head of the Office.

An important part of the assistance will be for the development of public services. This block will be coordinated by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The total amount of funds allocated for this purpose will be 27 million euros.

59 million euros are currently deposited in the so-called «Strategic Funding Reserve Bank» in case other needs arise.

A separate block provides funding for international humanitarian organisations already operating in the region: DCA, DRC, Danish Red Cross, Save the Children. They actively cooperate with Ukrainian civil society initiatives. A total of 27.7 million euros will be allocated to them.

The main areas of support for Mykolaiv in the 2025-2028 Resilience Programme. Photo: NikVesti

At the end of the event, Jakob Hansen stressed that all Danish efforts are aimed at making Ukraine stronger and gradually integrating into the European Union.

«We want Ukraine to become stronger. Our ultimate goal is Ukraine's accession to the EU. Everything we do is aimed at this goal: to ensure that infrastructure, living standards and legislation meet European standards. We see Ukraine's future in the EU,» he concluded.

During a lecture by Jakob Hansen. Photo: NikVesti

During a lecture by Jakob Hansen. Photo: NikVesti

Earlier, NikVesti reported that Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen announced the launch of a new programme to support Ukraine's resilience worth €375 million.