Today, with the Mayor of Florence and the President of Eurocities Dario Nardella, the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola launched the Generators of Hope campaign.
© European Union | The President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola addressing the launch of the Generation of Hope campaign
The President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola and Dario Nardella, Mayor of Florence and President of Eurocities - the network of Europe's more than 200 largest cities - launched the “Generators of Hope” initiative. The launch was attended and welcomed by Andriy Yermak, Head of the Office of Ukrainian President Zelenskyy. The campaign calls on cities to donate power generators and transformers to help Ukrainians get through the harsh winter ahead. These generators will help to keep essential facilities in the country running, providing energy to hospitals, schools, water supply facilities, relief centres, shelters, phone masts and more. As a result of Russia's war against Ukraine and its continuing attacks on critical civilian infrastructure, which violate international and humanitarian law, more than half of Ukraine´s electricity network has been damaged or destroyed, leaving millions of Ukrainians without electricity. During the press conference announcing the campaign, EP President Roberta Metsola said: “The European Parliament and the EU have shown remarkable solidarity with Ukraine on the humanitarian, military and financial front. Now they need practical support to get through the winter. I call on all cities, towns and regions across Europe to join the Generators of Hope campaign. Together we can make a real difference.”