Lithuania and European Commission sign Zhytomyr school rebuilding deal

Lithuania and the European Commission signed an agreement on Friday to rebuild a school in Zhytomyr, Ukraine, LRT reported. The Lithuanian initiative Future School of Ukraine has become a European Commission-supported Team Europe project.

The partnership will enable construction of a modern education and community centre on the site of Lyceum No. 25, which was destroyed during Russia’s aggression in 2022.

The agreement was signed by Indrė Šuolienė, director of the Central Project Management Agency, and Elena Višnar Malinovska, a representative of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood. European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Sikela and Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys also attended the signing.

The project aims not only to restore education infrastructure destroyed by the war, but also to create a safe learning environment for Ukrainian children and the community that meets modern European standards, the ministry said.

Lithuania, Ireland and the European Commission are currently contributing to the project. The Team Europe initiative is expected to encourage other EU member states to join.