As early as April, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine is to implement one of the European Commission's recommendations and prepare an action plan to establish a national greenhouse gas emissions trading system (ETS).
This became known from the action plan for implementing the European Commission's recommendations presented in the Report on Ukraine's Progress under the 2024 EU Enlargement Package, approved and published by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
EcoPolitic has carefully analyzed this document. The European Commission's recommendations in the field of environmental protection are contained in Cluster 4 “Green Agenda and Sustainable Connections” – Chapter 27 “Environment and Climate Change”. It contains 10 recommendations.
The responsible implementers in this section are 10 ministries and agencies at once:
- Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources;
- Ministry of Internal Affairs;
- Ministry of Energy;
- Ministry of Community and Territorial Development;
- Ministry of Agrarian Policy;
- Ministry of Economy;
- State Agency on Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving;
- State Agency of Forest Resources;
- State Service of Ukraine for Geodesy, Cartography and Cadastre;
- Ministry of Health.
Interestingly, most of the recommendations have specific deadlines for implementation, but 4 laws have “Until the Law is adopted” in the “Deadline” column.
We publish a list of persistent wishes from European partners and measures that the Ukrainian authorities plan to take to implement each of them.
Recommendation No. 1 – Adopt primary and secondary legislation to continue the reforms launched in the waste management sector.
To implement this recommendation, the Cabinet of Ministers has planned 6 measures for 2025:
Recommendation 2 – Adopt a law on environmental control.
The European Commission has once again reminded Ukrainian officials of this long-standing shortcoming. The government did not dare to specify an exact deadline for the implementation of this recommendation. They simply instructed the Ministry of Ecology to support the Verkhovna Rada's consideration of draft Law No. 3091 “On State Environmental Control” until the Law is “adopted.”
Recommendation 3 – Initiate the development of a long-term low-carbon development strategy in line with the EU's 2030 framework.
The Ministry of Ecology, the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Development, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, the Ministry of Economy, and the State Agency on Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving should jointly develop and submit to the Cabinet of Ministers a draft decree on the approval of a long-term low-carbon development strategy by August 2025.
Recommendation 4 – Ensure the implementation of cross-cutting horizontal environmental legislation, in particular on environmental impact assessment (EIA) and strategic environmental assessment (SEA), taking into account the need to further limit the regime of exceptions, as well as the implementation of EU law and the application of their requirements on environmental crimes, liability and access to justice.
To implement this recommendation of the European Commission, the government has instructed the Ministry of Ecology to conduct a study on the application of horizontal environmental legislation to all plans, programs and projects, including those related to restoration, by August this year.
Recommendation 5 – Based on the Law of Ukraine “On the Basic Principles of State Climate Policy”
- prepare and submit a new, more ambitious nationally determined contribution of Ukraine to the Paris Agreement;
- update the long-term strategy of low-carbon development;
- ratify the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.
To implement this recommendation, the Cabinet of Ministers has envisaged two measures:
- Developing and submitting to the government a draft decree “On Approval of the Second Nationally Determined Contribution of Ukraine to the Paris Agreement”.
- Supporting the draft law on ratification of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.
The nationally determined contribution of Ukraine by August 2025 should be prepared jointly by the Ministry of Ecology, the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Development, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, the Ministry of Economy and the State Agency on Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving.
The ratification of the Kigali Amendment will be handled by the Ministry of Environment until the relevant draft law is adopted – the government did not specify a specific timeframe.
Recommendation 6 – Make progress in establishing an effective carbon pricing mechanism by reintroducing mandatory monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) of greenhouse gas emissions and approving an action plan for the establishment of a national greenhouse gas emissions trading system (ETS).
To implement this recommendation, this month the Ministry of Ecology should develop and submit to the Cabinet of Ministers a draft decree “On Approval of the Action Plan for the Establishment of a National Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading System.”
Recommendation 7 – Adopt a law to confirm the sustainability of wood and other goods that may lead to deforestation.
The Ministry of Ecology, the State Forestry Agency, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, and the State Geocadastre should prepare and submit a relevant draft law to the government by August 2025.
Recommendation 8 – To regulate the issue of reimbursement of expenses for water supply services.
The Ministry of Development and the Ministry of Health are responsible for implementing this recommendation. They should develop the Concept of the State Targeted Social Program for Improving Drinking Water Supply in Ukraine for the period up to 2035. The deadline is August this year.
Recommendation 9 – Continue to develop implementing legislation in the field of water and wastewater treatment.
Already in April this year, the Ministry of Development and the Ministry of Environment should develop and submit to the government the State Target Environmental Program for the Technical Modernization of State-owned or Communal Wastewater Treatment and Sewage Treatment Enterprises for the period up to 2034.
Recommendation 10 – Continue to develop implementing legislation on drinking water quality.
The Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Health should complete work on this recommendation this month. The agencies will prepare and submit to the Cabinet of Ministers a draft law “On Amendments to the Laws of Ukraine on Improving the Legislation in the Field of Drinking Water Supply and Sewerage.”
Earlier, EcoPolitic reported that starting in May, the quality of surface water in Ukraine will be monitored according to European standards. We also told you that the EU is postponing the announcement of its climate goal for 2040 until the summer.
