You're reading: Poroshenko vetoes law on environmental impact assessment

Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko vetoed on Oct. 31 bill No. 2009a-d on the assessment of environmental impact passed by the Verkhovna Rada on October 4, which is part of the so-called package of European integration laws.

According to the website of the Ukrainian parliament, the bill was sent to president for signature on Oct. 13 and was returned with his proposals on Oct. 31.

Previously, various agricultural associations asked the president to veto the bill. In particular, the Association of Pig Producers of Ukraine together with the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Council, the Association of Milk Producers and the Union of Poultry Breeders of Ukraine said that while this bill is aimed at harmonizing the Ukrainian and European legislation in the field of environmental protection, some of its provisions do not comply with the principle of legal certainty.

According to the associations, due to these conflicting provisions of the bill, most livestock farms would have to stop their work for the time needed to hold an assessment of environmental impact of their activities, a mechanism which is non-transparent.

As reported, on Oct. 4, Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada passed bill No. 2009a-d on obligatory environmental impact assessment for planned economic activity.

The bill establishes legal and organizational arrangements of environment impact assessment and ensures the implementation of Ukraine’s international obligations under the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (Espoo Convention) and he UNECE Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention).