On June 20, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted as a basis the draft Law "On Integrated Prevention and Control of Industrial Pollution" No. 11355. It is almost identical to the European integration draft law No. 6004-d "On Ensuring the Constitutional Rights of Citizens to a Safe Environment for Life and Health," which MPs lacked only one (!) vote to adopt yesterday.
This was reported by MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak on Telegram.
Draft Law No. 11355 provides for and establishes:
- legal and organizational principles for the prevention, reduction and control of pollution to ensure a high level of environmental protection and the constitutional rights of citizens to an environment safe for life and health;
- application of an integrated approach to regulation of pollution;
- implementation of the best available technologies and management methods (BTM);
- contains definitions of necessary terms, such as: "release", "emission", "permissible emission limit", "permitting authority", "pollution", "integrated environmental permit", etc.;
- the procedure for obtaining, making changes, stopping, canceling an integrated environmental permit;
- features of state control over compliance with the conditions of such a permit;
- the issue of holding a public discussion in the process of issuing an integrated environmental permit (making changes to it);
- requirements for monitoring emissions, land and groundwater pollution;
- requirements for the register of integrated environmental permits;
- a list of types of activities that require obtaining such a permit, etc.
In addition, relevant changes are made to a number of legislative acts, including: the Water Code of Ukraine, laws of Ukraine "On environmental protection", "On atmospheric air protection", "On waste management", "On basic principles of state supervision (control) in the field of economic activity" etc.
What was the first attempt
The day before, on June 19, the Verkhovna Rada failed to vote on an almost similar draft law No. 6004-d on industrial pollution, which caused the indignation of people's deputies and public activists.
All of them expressed an extremely negative attitude towards such attitude on the part of people's deputies to the law, which is part of the obligations under the association agreement with the EU and the Ukraine facility program.
People's deputy from the "Voice" faction, Yaroslav Zheleznyak, was the first to report the failed vote on his Telegram channel. He stated that a significant part of his colleagues simply ignored him.
The head of the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Environmental Policy and Nature Management Oleg Bondarenko was also very disappointed by the fact that the widespread problem of a lack of votes for the adoption of bills by the Verkhovna Rada can apply to any important bill.
"Today the Parliament lacked one!!! vote for adoption in the second reading of draft law 6004-d on ensuring constitutional rights to an environment safe for life and health," he was indignant.
The head of the ecocommittee also named 3 important results that could be obtained if the law were adopted:
- The opportunity to launch a rather long and complex process of industrial conversion to reduce environmental pollution and reduce the impact of industrial discharges and emissions on the health of Ukrainian citizens.
- Fulfillment of one of the important conditions of the Ukraine Facility Program in order to receive such expected several hundred million euros for Ukraine.
- Demonstration to the civilized world of Ukraine's readiness to fulfill its obligations.
The coordinator of the international technical assistance project "Best available technologies and management methods (BTM) for Ukraine" Andrii Gunko also focused on the single vote "for", which was not enough to make a positive decision:
"The result of 5 years of efforts of experts, civil servants, managers, the health of residents of industrial regions, the question of Ukraine receiving 50 billion euros from the EU for reconstruction, the prospect of joining the European Union – all this depended on pressing one button."
Oleksiy Ryabchyn, Advisor on the EU Green Course at the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, drew attention to the length of consideration of the draft law, which was not voted on.
"We have been discussing this law on industrial pollution (6004-d) for 10 years now, and with the delays included in it, I do not consider it too problematic. Much more complicated laws and difficult discussions await us in search of compromises on the path to joining the EU," he believes.
Ryabchyn also urged his fellow deputies to quickly discuss, register the relevant draft law and vote. He reminded that the critical date in the Ukraine Facility plan is the third quarter of 2024.
Eco-activists also expressed their negative attitude to the failed vote. In particular, the head of SaveDnipro NGO Iryna Chernysh wrote as follows:
"They have failed again with regard to industrial pollution! Now it is 6004-d... Pozorysko. And these are our direct European integration obligations"
As EсoPolitiс reported on May 29, 2023, The Verkhovna Rada adopted in the first reading draft law No. 6004-d "On ensuring the constitutional rights of citizens to an environment safe for life and health", which provides for the reform of industrial pollution.
On July 18 of the same year, we wrote that this document is being prepared for the second reading.
On August 3, 2023, the Parliamentary Committee on Environmental Policy and Nature Management recommended to the Verkhovna Rada to vote and as a whole draft law No. 6004-d "On ensuring the constitutional rights of citizens to an environment safe for life and health" ("On industrial pollution").
