Ukraine wants to reform the system of subsoil use shutterstock

Ukraine wants to reform the system of subsoil use

Katerina Belousova

The primary task for the Ministry of Natural Resources is to maintain a balance between nature protection and subsoil use

In Ukraine, a subsoil use reform has begun, which is designed to turn the State Service of Geology and Subsoil into a service institution, modernize the "rules of the game" and ensure effective control by the state.

This was stated by Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Yevgeny Fedorenko, emphasizing that the development of subsoil use in the coming years will be closely related to the restoration and will be based on the Recovery Plan of Ukraine, reports Ministry of Natural Resources on Telegram.

“We understand that the demand for construction groups of minerals will be enormous. The Ministry of Natural Resources, together with the State Geo-Union Agency, has already developed an interactive map of such minerals. So far, access to it is closed for security reasons, but after the victory we are ready to provide the necessary information to subsoil users,” Fedorenko said.

Among other practical steps that are being taken today, he singled out preparations for the second reading of the draft law No. 4187-d "On the simplification of subsoil use." The document provides for the abolition of the archaic procedure for the introduction of the GKS protocols, as well as a reduction in the period for obtaining special permits. They can be obtained in 50 days, and mining can begin in 5 months.

Fedorenko also stressed that the top priority for the Ministry of Natural Resources is to maintain a balance between nature protection and subsoil use. After all, it is necessary to create conditions for businesses to work, invest, develop and implement new projects.

The report noted that Ukraine does not change its political vector for cooperation with the European Union. So, in 2021, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed on a strategic partnership with the EU in the raw materials industry. In 2022, the State Geonadra concluded a memorandum with the relevant service of Poland, and a memorandum with the Czech Republic is also being prepared.

"We strive to create conditions for the investor not only to extract strategic resources on our territory and send them to other countries in Europe or the world. Our goal is for him to work here, create the appropriate processing infrastructure, value-added goods, etc. We want create conditions for the development of high-tech industries, because our country owns rare earth metals, lithium reserves, and has everything to develop this segment at home,” Fedorenko emphasized.

Earlier, EcoPolitic wrote, that in Ukraine has identified priority steps to develop a strategic work plan for the sector subsoil use in wartime and post-war conditions.

As EcoPolitic reported earlier, The Cabinet of Ministers made changes to four normative acts, which regulate issues of subsoil use in Ukraine.

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