The Verkhovna Rada's Environmental Committee has sent government bill No. 13554 on deregulation, which abolishes several dozen environmental permits and approvals, back for further revision.
This was reported by the public organization Ukrainian Environmental Group.
The meeting took place on Wednesday, September 17. The bill provides for the abolition of permits for the construction of dams and other structures for water retention on rivers, the leasing of water bodies, the construction of land reclamation systems, economic activity in the Chernobyl Reserve, etc.
In addition, the State Forestry Agency and the State Forestry Agency proposed to abolish approvals for forest management materials and calculated logging areas.
“Such initiatives are not new. But the bill was presented and fully supported by the Ministry of Economy. They seem to have forgotten that they are now the Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture. Therefore, the Ministry should care not only about deregulation but also about environmental protection,” the organization said.
According to UNCG, this is yet another sign that nature conservation is not even close to being a priority for the Ministry of Economy. And if a separate specialized ministry is not restored, our environment may suffer catastrophic consequences.
On July 21, EcoPolitic reported that the Ukrainian government had decided to liquidate the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine.
The Ministry of Economy of Ukraine was renamed the Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture of Ukraine. The Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food and the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources were liquidated.
Their functions are now performed by the newly created joint ministry. It has also become the successor to the property, rights, and obligations of the two liquidated agencies.
