Ukrainian industrialists are urging lawmakers to resume work on a bill that would regulate waste management in the extractive industry. The lack of an adequate regulatory framework currently poses real environmental risks, while simultaneously undermining Ukraine’s commitments to European integration.
This is stated in a press release from the National Association of the Extractive Industry of Ukraine.
The postponed law
Bill No. 12180 “On the Management of Waste from the Extractive Industry” was intended to transpose European Directive 2006/21/EC into Ukrainian law. However, back in June 2025, the Verkhovna Rada rejected it in the first reading. Since then, work on this important piece of legislation has stalled.
A paradox that threatens the environment
Currently, the regulation of extractive waste does not actually correspond to the realities of the industry. In particular, materials that could be reused are considered waste on paper.
According to businesses, this blocks economic development and amplifies environmental risks by provoking waste accumulation. These issues have been neglected for years and, today, their resolution is also part of the commitments to the European Union.
“The Association, which has been addressing this issue since 2021, calls for the creation of a new working group and the development of an updated draft law. The point is to strike a balance – between environmental protection, the economy, and the right of business to operate without legal uncertainty,” the industrial union emphasizes.
Industrialists add that work on this law should not be regarded as merely technical, since it determines the country's development trajectory.
EcoPolitic previously reported that oil producing enterprises have also found themselves in a legislative trap. The EIA procedure for the management of drilling waste sometimes takes longer than the mining operations themselves.
The regulation of the scrap management segment is also imperfect. Dual regulation creates potential risks of violations.
