Ukraine to follow Estonia's example in housing associations, building renovation

TALLINN - Advised by the Estonian Union of Cooperative Housing Associations (EKÜL), Ukraine is taking inspiration from Estonia's housing associations and the comprehensive renovation of apartment buildings.

The EKÜL recently organized a week of meetings between Estonian and Ukrainian housing and legal experts, with the aim of helping Ukraine align its housing sector and necessary legislation with EU standards.

"Reconstructing and modernizing the housing stock is a matter of community resilience and people’s safety," Ukraine's Ambassador Volodymyr Boiechko said in his opening speech for the week.

Serhii Komnatnyi, honorary president of the Ukrainian housing organization Housing Ukraine, listed three key principles to apply in Ukraine's housing sector, following Estonia's example.

"First, a housing association is a separate legal entity, which acts on behalf of the entire building. This improves the management of the building and provides the legal capacity to use financial instruments and work with banks and credit institutions," he explained. "Second, the best long-term result comes from comprehensive renovation of apartment buildings, rather than partial works, which unfortunately has been the usual practice in Ukraine until now," Komnatnyi said.

Komnatnyi also praised the EKÜL as a central organization that supports housing associations, provides training, and defends their interests at the parliamentary and governmental level. Ukraine would benefit from such an organization as well, he added.

The EKÜL and the Energy Efficiency Fund of Ukraine signed a memorandum of understanding and cooperation in Rakvere, expressing a shared commitment to developing a partnership in the fields of energy efficiency and energy saving.

"The memorandum sets the goal of long-term cooperation in sharing expertise on the energy efficiency of buildings, supporting new initiatives in the housing sector, and implementing innovative solutions to improve energy performance in buildings. It also aims to create the necessary conditions for sustainable development and to meet international energy and climate targets," said Andres Jaadla, chairman of the board of the EKÜL.

Yehor Fareniuk, the director of the Energy Efficiency Fund of Ukraine, said they greatly value the willingness of their Estonian colleagues to share experiences.

"This collaboration allows both Ukrainian and Estonian apartment associations to reduce costs and make their buildings more comfortable and resilient. We hope that as partners, we can also create innovative solutions," he said.

The meetings and visits of Ukrainian housing experts took place within the framework of the EKÜL project on cooperation for enhancing apartment building management in Ukraine, which is supported by the Estonian Center for International Development (ESTDEV).

The project is being implemented in cooperation with partners in Ukraine: the NGO Housing Ukraine and the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine.