The latest meeting of the parliamentary committee on environmental policy and natural resource use focused on legislative initiatives concerning the timber market, Ukrainian forests, and wastewater management.
More details about the decisions are available on the committee's website.
New rules for wastewater disposal
One of the main issues was a draft law amending the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses. The need for revision is related to the adoption of the Law "On Wastewater Disposal and Treatment." The document aims to establish clear responsibility for violations in the field of wastewater management.
The Committee supported the draft law and recommended that it be adopted as a basis, taking into account a number of technical clarifications.
The Timber Market and European Standards
Another issue addressed was the draft law “On the Timber Market.” Members of parliament proposed to remove amendments to the Law “On Environmental Impact Assessment” from the document, to prevent the dilution of environmental procedures. According to the Committee, such provisions should be regulated by separate legislation.
The Committee's conclusion also calls for continued consultations with the European Union on banning the export of fuelwood and unprocessed timber from the customs territory of Ukraine.
Forest conservation and European standards
In September, members of parliament who are members of the committee visited Germany, where they received a number of recommendations on improving the forestry sector. At the meeting, it was decided to approve the recommendations of European partners, in particular regarding the financing of work. The Cabinet of Ministers was recommended to allocate funds to meet the needs of forestry monitoring, maintaining the state forest cadastre, as well as accounting and national inventory of Ukrainian forests.
The committee also approved a number of recommendations for the Ministry of Economy and the State Forestry Agency. They concern the following:
- Ensuring the implementation of European Regulation 2023/1115 (EUDR);
- Developing a draft law to amend the Forest Code of Ukraine, which should align forestry terminology with European standards;
- Developing a draft regulation on forest monitoring procedures;
- Developing a draft strategy for adapting forests to climate change.
