The European Investment Bank (EIB) has initiated the evaluation of a new pilot project in the field of social housing, aiming for the first agreement to be signed by 2025.

This was announced by Kristina Mikulova, head of the EIB regional office in Eastern Europe, in an interview with the "Interfax-Ukraine" agency.

"This will be the first project of its kind in the housing sector implemented in collaboration with the EIB. We are currently awaiting the approval of a Cabinet decision that will establish the necessary regulatory framework. At the same time, we are conducting a technical and economic assessment from the bank's side and hope to finalize the agreement in 2025," Mikulova stated.

She emphasized that social housing is an important area of cooperation with the EIB, which is also a priority for the Ukrainian government.

According to Mikulova, this pilot project will allow testing new approaches to establishing a social housing system in Ukraine.

"We understand that the selection of municipalities for participation in the pilot will be carried out by the Ukrainian government under transparent and clear conditions, and that scalable methodologies will be applied.

If a community is not included in the initial phase, it will have the opportunity to join in subsequent rounds," she added.

The model development process is taking place in close collaboration with EIB and European Commission experts who are adapting EU countries' experiences to the Ukrainian context. One of the key tools is the JASPERS advisory assistance program, which supports EU member states and candidate countries in preparing quality projects.

"JASPERS began working in Ukraine in October 2024, with social housing being one of the first priorities alongside energy and transport. JASPERS experts are already working with Ukrainian partners in our Kyiv office," Mikulova concluded.