On Tuesday, May 2, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the Procedure for maintaining the Unified Register of Strategic Environmental Assessment.
The resolution defines the list of data and the procedure for maintaining the SEO Register, reports the Government portal.
It is noted that the creation of such a register is provided for by the Law "On Strategic Environmental Assessment" and will contribute to the fulfillment of Ukraine's European integration obligations, in particular, the implementation of Directive No. 2001/42/EC.
The message emphasized that currently there is no single information platform in Ukraine where systematized and unified materials of all conducted strategic eco-assessments are available. The SEO register will become a convenient tool for performers and potential consumers of such information.
The Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, Ruslan Strelets, emphasized that, despite the war, the department continues to digitize all state procedures.
"We make surrounding state services convenient and accessible, and environmental information open to the public as stipulated by the Aarhus Convention and other European directives," he said.
Strelets added that the SEO Register will become one of the key tools for access to environmental information and public participation in decision-making. Also, the Register will greatly simplify the procedure and make it more transparent.
It is noted that the introduction of the SEO Register will allow:
- to ensure systematization, openness and availability of information on SEO;
- increase the transparency of relevant procedures for interested parties and potential investors;
- will contribute to better awareness and wider involvement of the public in the SEA of state planning documents, their development and approval.
As EcoPolitic previously reported, in November 2022, the Verkhovna Rada approved in the second reading the government bill No. 5159 "On Amendments to Some Laws of Ukraine Regarding the Introduction of Liability for Violation of the Procedure for Performing a Strategic Environmental Assessment." The document introduces responsibility for violation of the SEO procedure.
