President of the National Council of the Swiss Federal Assembly Maja Riniker in Vinnytsia: Strengthening Partnership and Support in Difficult Times

In Vinnytsia, Ms. Riniker, together with Félix Baumann, Swiss Ambassador to Ukraine, Philippe Strub, Deputy Head of Mission, Miriam Bertsch, Head of Bilateral Relations and Parliamentary Presidia, Ilona Postemska, Senior National Programme Coordinator, Maria Druzhynina, National Programme Coordinator, and Alisa Kyrpychova, Public Relations Specialist, met with local authorities, visited a centre for internally displaced persons from Mariupol, and took a ride on a tram that once ran through the streets of Zurich. Today, this mode of transport has become part of Switzerland's contribution to the development of sustainable mobility in the city.

The partnership between Vinnytsia and Switzerland began almost two decades ago, in 2006, with the project ‘Zurich Trams for Vinnytsia’. Subsequently, cooperation expanded to other areas: energy efficiency, modernisation of heating systems, and development of digital services. The President of the National Council was briefed on the progress of the projects by Deputy Mayors Roman Furman and Andrii Ocheretnyi, who accompanied her during the visit.

'The Swiss Confederation government has consistently supported our community, even during the war, helping to implement important projects in various areas of city life. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Switzerland has deployed a humanitarian mission in Vinnytsia, which provides assistance to victims and displaced persons, which is extremely important support for our community. We greatly appreciate such comprehensive support and look forward to further fruitful cooperation,' emphasises Deputy Mayor Roman Furman.

As part of the partnership, the Vinnytsia community has carried out a comprehensive modernisation of its heating systems, introducing modern automation technologies and energy-efficient solutions that significantly improve service quality and reduce the burden on the environment. During their visit, the Swiss delegation visited one of the boiler rooms within the Energy Efficiency Project, implemented with the financial support of the Swiss company GIZ. The first bioenergy plants were commissioned in 2019. These are two successful projects that are still working effectively for the benefit of the city and have a noticeable social impact. Thanks to this, Vinnytsia remains one of the few cities in Ukraine where hot water is supplied continuously throughout the year, Vinnytsiamiskteploenerho saves natural gas consumption and reduces emissions into the atmosphere.

'We have learned to use resources rationally that were previously simply disposed of. Now, for example, we accumulate certain by-products on site so that we can use them later to heat sleeping quarters and educational institutions. This allows us to reduce natural gas consumption and, accordingly, reduce emissions into the atmosphere, which is extremely important for our community,‘ said Deputy Mayor Andrii Ocheretnyi during a tour of the boiler room. ’Thanks to the energy-efficient solutions we have implemented, we have been able to maintain stable heating tariffs for the population. They were not increased during the COVID-19 pandemic or during the full-scale invasion. This is the result of cooperation between local authorities and the central government to reduce the burden on family budgets.'

Another important result that the President heard about was the growth of institutional capacity in our community and businesses.

'We have unique experience in implementing energy efficiency projects, which has earned us the European Energy Award. Our words are backed up by practical results. Vinnytsia is a city with a population of about 400,000 people. During the most difficult months of 2022, when the number of residents effectively doubled due to an increase in the number of displaced persons, we faced challenges, including attacks on energy infrastructure,‘ said Andrii Ocheretnyi. ’At that time, support from our international partners was critical, as they helped us quickly secure backup power generation: first diesel and petrol, and later gas.'

Thanks to international cooperation, Vinnytsia was the first city in Ukraine to receive the European Energy Award. It was this award that became the catalyst for close cooperation with foreign partners.

The Zurich Trams project is part of the Urban Passenger Transport Development Programme, which covers the adaptation of infrastructure to modern standards and community needs.

The President of the National Council of the Swiss Federal Assembly, together with the delegation members, travelled around the city on public transport. It was a short trip around the city on the Mirage tram, which was painted in the colours of the national flags of Ukraine and Switzerland as a sign of gratitude from the people of Vinnytsia for their support during difficult times for our country.

It runs through the city as usual, but for half an hour it was transformed into a mobile museum. Driving through the city, the President viewed photographic evidence of the rocket attack on Vinnytsia that took place on 14 July 2022.

Trams from Zurich are comfortable, environmentally friendly and reliable. And Tram-2000 has already become one of the highlights of Vinnytsia.

'Modernising urban public transport is a priority for the development of infrastructure in the Vinnytsia community. The introduction of modern, comfortable and reliable trams as part of the Zurich Trams project significantly improves the comfort, safety and environmental friendliness of passenger transport. This is an important step towards ensuring the sustainable development of the city and improving the quality of life of its residents. Partnerships with international organisations and the Swiss government allow us to implement strategic initiatives aimed at modernising Vinnytsia's transport system and infrastructure,' says Roman Furman.

A Swiss delegation led by Maja Riniker, President of the National Council of the Swiss Federal Assembly, visited the YaMariupol centre to see how Vinnytsia supports those who have lost their homes due to the war. The guests learned about the work of the Mariupol municipality team, which thanked the Swiss government for its help in setting up the 'YaMariupol. Vinnytsia' space in 2022 — for technical support, equipment, and compassion.

During the meeting with the centre's management and representatives of the social services department, the results of three years of work by the network of such support centres for internally displaced persons were discussed. And once again, the main point was made: the strength of the community lies in humanity, support, and partnership.