Constructive collaboration and maintaining a balance between the economy, the agricultural sector and environmental protection are key priorities for the restructured Ministry. This was emphasised by Oleksii Sobolev, Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine, during a working meeting with the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Environmental Policy and Nature Management, chaired by Committee Head Oleh Bondarenko. The meeting took place on August 19.
Oleksii Sobolev presented to the MPs the ministry’s priorities for shaping environmental policy and introduced the deputy ministers responsible for these areas.
Specifically, Yehor Perelyhin will oversee the development of state policy on forests, subsoil use, and waste management. Ihor Zubovych will be responsible for nature conservation, environmental control, emissions regulation, and the protected areas network. Vitaliy Kindrativ’s portfolio now includes environmental impact assessments (EIA) and managing the relevant Unified Register. Additionally, the new Deputy Minister, Pavlo Kartashov, responsible for investment, will be involved in implementing internationally funded environmental projects. The minister also introduced Deputy Minister Daryna Marchak, who had contributed to the ministry’s internal restructuring.
“The greening of the economy will remain one of our ministry’s key priorities. Moreover, environmental and nature management policies directly impact our European integration. We look forward to constructive synergy in cooperation with MPs and a focus on achieving maximum results,” noted the minister.
Oleksii Sobolev outlined key environmental priorities, including:
– Subsoil Use Reform: expanding the mineral resource base by opening the market for strategic and critical raw materials, attracting investment to the extractive sector, and developing public-private partnership mechanisms;
– Biodiversity and Protected Areas Conservation: establishing a dedicated Agency to implement state policy, expanding protected areas, and forming the NATURA 2000 network;
– State Environmental Control Reform: updating legislation, introducing preventive measures, establishing environmental control points, and digitalization;
– Water Resources Protection and Restoration: full implementation of relevant directives, introducing integrated management, and achieving good water status;
– Forestry Management: reforming forest management (transforming the state enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” into a joint-stock company), regulating the timber market, strengthening transport controls, and banning clear-cutting in the Carpathian mountain forests from 2027;
– Industrial Pollution Prevention Reform: full transposition of EU Directive 2010/75/EU and reforming the permitting system;
– Waste Management Reform: introducing extended producer responsibility, fully implementing EU legislation, and developing infrastructure;
– Climate Policy: establishing an emissions trading system (ETS), implementing EU climate legislation, and ratifying the amendment to the Montreal Protocol.
The MPs, in turn, shared their vision for future cooperation with the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture. (Government portal)