The Ukrainian equivalent of the EUDR’s ‘forest’ regulation should be taken as a basis, with amendments to its provisions. This decision was taken at a meeting of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Environmental Policy and Nature Management.
This was reported on the eco-committee’s website.
Trade with the European Union requires manufacturers to comply with strict environmental standards. One of these is to demonstrate that the manufacture of products has not led to deforestation or forest degradation. The EU has the EUDR Regulation in place for this purpose, and Ukraine must adopt its own version of this legislation as part of its European integration process.
At the end of June, a draft bill – No. 15352, ‘On the trade in goods linked to deforestation and/or forest degradation’ – was registered on the Verkhovna Rada’s website. It was tabled by Oleg Bondarenko, chair of the Environment Committee, together with other MPs.
The need for further refinement
The discussion of the draft bill involved not only representatives of state institutions, but also environmental experts from civil society and academics. According to the participants, certain aspects of the document need to be improved. Among the proposed changes are:
- clarification of terminology;
- further developing the mechanisms by which goods will be assessed for their impact on forests;
- improving the mechanisms for state oversight of compliance with legislation, particularly with regard to the conservation of primary forest areas and other valuable forest stands;
- the operation of forest protection services by the state and regular forest users.
These are not the only aspects of the draft bill that require further refinement. Its effectiveness also depends on the procedures for calculations and record-keeping. The procedures for approving planned felling areas, carrying out regeneration felling, and maintaining electronic records also need to be improved. The effectiveness of the future law may also be affected by the corporatisation of the state-owned enterprise ‘Forests of Ukraine’, which must also be taken into account.
A brief overview of the draft bill
Draft Law No. 15352 is, in essence, aimed at European integration. The EU strictly monitors the origin of goods in terms of their impact on forests, so the absence of such regulations in Ukraine could harm trade.
According to the explanatory note, the bill will establish the legal and organisational framework for trade in goods linked to deforestation or forest degradation. The draft law will introduce a list of relevant goods, oblige operators and traders to collect and submit the necessary information, and set out requirements for the verification of producers and market operators of specified goods.
In addition, the document sets out the powers of the authorities and establishes liability for breaches of the law relating to the trade in goods associated with deforestation and/or forest degradation.
The draft bill provides for the creation of an electronic mechanism for verifying goods. As regards timber, the procedure for verifying its origin will involve the issue of a certificate.
EcoPolitics reported that, from as early as 2027, Ukraine plans to transition to nature-based forestry. The transformation will begin in the Carpathians.
