On the 25th February 2016, the officials of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the Visegrad Four (it includes Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Hungary) and Ukraine, the experts in the area of energy efficiency and energy saving, the representatives of local councils assembled at Lviv Polytechnic National University. They held a roundtable discussion which is a part of the initiative “Presentation the Visegrad Group’s experience in Ukraine”.
Ihor Slobodnik, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic, started the meeting with opening address. He said that the Visegrad Group and Slovakia in particular, make every effort to Ukraine get the real energy independence. Our western neighbor is one of the leaders on reverse gas supplies to Ukraine, passes along the best experience of energy efficiency and energy saving to our country.
Yurii Bobalo, the Rector of Lviv Polytechnic National University, heartily welcomed the guests, reminded that the Assembly Hall of the University, where the meeting is held, is decorated with paintings based on sketches by the famous artist Yan Mateiko and which symbolize the steady progress of science and technology. He also spoke about the contribution of Lviv Polytechnic scientists in developing the energy efficiency and energy saving, alternative energy sources technologies.
Oleh Syniutka, the Chairman of Lviv Regional State Administration and Oleksandr Hanushchyn, the Chairman of Lviv Regional Council, devoted their speeches to Lviv transit possibilities, the realized pilot projects of energy saving and also the expand production of own energy sources, creating the favorable conditions for foreign investment in the energy sector.
Olena Zerkal, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Yaroslav Ludva, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Czech Republic, Ishtvan Mikola, the State Secretary for Security Policy and International Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Economy and Foreign Affairs of Hungary, Marek Ziulkovski, the Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland shared with their vision of this issue.
Serhii Savchuk, the Head of State Agency on Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving of Ukraine, Andrii Kyrchiv, the Executive Director of the Association “Energy Efficient Cities of Ukraine” and others expressed the interesting ideas and suggestions during the roundtable discussion.
During the press-conference which summed up the meeting, the journalists asked the head of the delegations of the Visegrad Four about their position on the issue of expediency of the building the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Poland, Slovakia and Hungary definitely consider this as a purely political project aimed at reducing Ukraine's transit capacities to supply gas to Europe. However, Czech Republic takes a special position, based on their economic and geopolitical interests.
The representatives of the Visegrad Four discussed not only the problems of energy efficiency and energy saving. Political support for Ukraine, especially in the questions of European integration, establishment of the visa-free regime, extension of the sanctions against Russia were discernible clearly in their speeches. At the same time, our guests talked about the necessity of speeding up and deepening the reforms in Ukraine, strengthening the fight against corruption, implementation of real decentralization.
The next meeting of the representatives of the Visegrad Group and Ukraine will be held in April this year in Vinnytsia and will be devoted to the problems of small and medium businesses.