OPPORTUNITIES OF TRANSBOUNDARY ENVIRONMENTAL COOPERATION IN THE CONTEXT OF THE EUROPEAN INTEGRATION AND POST-WAR GREEN RECOVERY OF UKRAINE

Background. The article emphasizes the relevance of transboundary environmental cooperation for Ukraine in the context of new reality caused by Russian aggression: accelerated integration into the European Union (EU) against the backdrop of recovery process. Given Ukraine's geopolitical location and shared borders with 4 EU countries (Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania) and 1 EU candidate (Moldova), transboundary cooperation presents significant opportunities. Methods. The following methods were employed in this study: analysis, synthesis, observation, and comparison to identify current trends and model prospects of environmental transboundary cooperation. Results. It was analyzed the state of Ukraine's transboundary environmental cooperation before the war. The role of Euroregions established with 4 EU neighboring countries and Moldova ("Carpathians," "Bug," "Upper Prut," and "Dniester") and the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) with Hungary ("Tisza") as organizational forms of cooperation for implementing joint ecological initiatives is highlighted. The study examines the impact of Russia’s full-scale invasion on transboundary environmental collaboration, including shifts in priorities, emerging challenges, and, at the same time, new opportunities for cross-border environmental partnerships. The new opportunities are considered in the context of recovery process, particularly through Ukraine's participation in the European Green Deal and integration into European environmental standards. Conclusions. Transboundary cooperation within Euroregions and the EGTCs is identified as a key element in achieving sustainable development and environmental security in the region. Ukraine's integration into the EU offers opportunities for joint projects in monitoring environmental threats, energy efficiency and biodiversity conservation. The latter is a key basic for green recovery of Ukraine. For large-scale and strategic green recovery projects, EGTCs offer advantages due to their legal personality and ability to directly attract EU funds. Euroregions can be effective for smaller-scale projects focused on networking and experience exchange. Combining different formats of cooperation can be beneficial for achieving various goals in green recovery projects. The article concludes that Ukraine has significant potential for producing "green" hydrogen using renewable energy sources, which can help meet the EU's import needs.