At a meeting on 29 June, members of the Parliamentary Committee on Environmental Policy and Nature Management decided the fate of two draft laws prepared for their second reading. At the same time, they reviewed the progress of the corporatisation of the state-owned enterprise ‘Forests of Ukraine’.
This information was published on the Eco-Committee’s website.
European standards in water supply and sanitation
Back on 30 March, the committee had issued its opinion on draft law No. 13578 “On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine Concerning Specific Issues in the Sectors of Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation”. However, the text of the document was amended prior to the second reading, so MPs had to update their opinion.
This is a European integration bill designed to harmonise Ukrainian legislation with EU requirements in the field of centralised water supply and wastewater disposal. Having supported the proposal to amend the comparative table of proposals and amendments, the committee recommended that the Verkhovna Rada adopt the document at second reading.
Reproduction of Forest Resources
The Eco-Committee also considered another bill prepared for the second reading. This concerns document No. 9116 “On Forest Reproductive Resources”. This bill was also recommended for adoption by parliament.
The document aims to establish legal and organizational relations in the area of forest reproductive resources. It regulates standards related to the production, circulation, use, testing, and research of forest reproductive material. Additionally, the bill defines the algorithm for state management in the sector.
Transformation of “Forests of Ukraine” into a Joint-Stock Company
Parliamentarians considered a letter from committee member Anzhelika Labunska regarding the corporatization of the State Specialized Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine”. It concerns the timelines for reorganization and the issues arising in this process.
The Environmental Committee analyzed the reasons for changing the organizational and legal structure of the state enterprise, the current state of the transition, and key risks. They also separately considered how the corporatization of the country’s main forest user would impact forest sector management in general.
The committee members instructed the State Agency of Forest Resources and the enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” to inform the Eco-Committee about the progress of the enterprise’s transformation every two months.
EcoPolitic previously reported that “Forests of Ukraine” would be converted into a joint-stock company. This transformation will be led by former Deputy Minister of Economy Ihor Zubovych.
