Introductory speech at the International Scientific and Practical Conference ‘Green Economy and Green Growth – Opportunities for Sustainable Development’ (22.05.2025, online)
On 22 May 2025, the team of the National Erasmus+ Office – Ukraine took part in the International Scientific and Practical Conference ‘Green Economy and Green Growth – Opportunities for Sustainable Development’, organised by Oles Honchar Dnipro National University with the support of the European Commission, the National Erasmus+ Office – Ukraine, and in partnership with the University of Applied Sciences (Mittweida, Germany), the University of Foggia (Italy), and the UCM-Italy Association. The event was held within the framework of the Erasmus+ Jean Monnet Module project EUGDProSED (ERASMUS-JMO-2022-HEI-TCH-RSCH) “European Green Deal as a Perspective for Sustainable Economic Development”.
The event brought together scholars, experts, representatives of civil society organisations, and educational institutions from Ukraine, Italy, Turkey, Portugal, Spain, and Austria. The plenary session gathered over 100 participants in both online and offline formats.
Rector of DNU, Serhii Okovytyi, delivered a welcome speech emphasising the importance of sustainable development as an integral part of the modern university mission and expressed gratitude to international partners for supporting the European direction in education. Vice-Rector for Research, Oleh Marenkov, focused on the role of scientific cooperation in the implementation of climate and environmental strategies aligned with the priorities of the European Green Deal. Dean of the Faculty of Economics, Tetiana Hrynko, highlighted the significance of the green economy for shaping a new economic culture in Ukraine and the role of youth in ensuring a sustainable future.
Svitlana SHYTIKOVA, Coordinator of the National Erasmus+ Office – Ukraine, also addressed the participants, emphasising that the conference took place within the framework of an Erasmus+ project and served as a platform for international partnership and cross-sectoral cooperation in support of sustainable development. She pointed out that such initiatives open up new opportunities for collaboration between universities, businesses, local authorities, and civil society.
Iryna Sikorska, Head of the Ukrainian Association of Teachers and Researchers of European Integration, also welcomed the participants and thanked the project coordinator and conference moderator Olha Zinchenko for fruitful cooperation in promoting educational and scientific European integration practices in the context of the green transition.
Reports by foreign and Ukrainian experts covered the following topics:
- digitalisation and biomimetics in green growth (Prof. Mariantonietta Fiore, Italy);
- sustainable development management in the academic environment (Dr. Nataliia Kochkina, Italy–Ukraine);
- fiscal tools to support the green economy (Prof. Filiz Giray, Turkey);
- the role of emotional intelligence and social innovation in forming sustainable intentions (Dr. Clara Margaça, Portugal–Spain);
- the agri-food system and the European Green Deal (Assoc. Prof. Oleksandr Faichuk);
- creative industries as a driver of green transformation (Assoc. Prof. Olena Yarmosch);
- social responsibility in sustainable development (Prof. Anastasiia Mohylova);
- understanding identity in the sustainable development system (Prof. Yevgen Bogodistov, Austria).
The conference also addressed topics such as the sustainable development of economic systems amid the expansion of the European Green Deal, challenges of the green economy under martial law, the role of start-up entrepreneurship in green business development, dissemination of leading European practices in corporate social and environmental responsibility, green management and marketing, sustainable tourism, and conscious consumption. Students from various DNU faculties and representatives of other leading Ukrainian universities participated in the sessions.