On October 31, 2016, the President of Ukraine returned the laws of Ukraine “On environmental impact assessment” No. 1639-VІІІ (hereinafter referred to as Law on EIA) and “On strategic environmental assessment” No. 1640-VІІІ (hereinafter referred to as Law on SEA) with his proposals.
Almost all political forces, including the Petro Poroshenko Bloc and the sectoral associations of industrialists, have taken a common stand regarding the laws on EIA and on SEA, since they understand the importance of the environmental issues.
However, lobbyism of businesses has been gaining the upper hand so far. Therefore, the experts are wondering whether the President is earnestly defending the business and the clear and transparent rules of doing business in line with the European standards. Or might this veto be a result of lobbyism and corruption which have penetrated into the President’s Administration?
Experts of the RPR-Environment Group are convinced that the President’s proposals to the said laws cannot be considered as well-grounded and well-formulated. Most of the remarks are far-fetched and contradict the very principles of the Directives on EIA and SEA. It is actually fraught with risk that Ukraine might not further implement the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, the relevant EU directives, and the SEA Protocol.
We would like to stress that the veto might have far-reaching consequences extending far beyond the borders of Ukraine and might bear a negative impact on the economic development, raise the social tension between the businesses and the communities, and damage the political image of the country.
Moreover, the Energy Community will impose its sanctions on us on November 6, as it insists that a European law on EIA be adopted. Sanctions under the Espoo Convention and Aarhus Convention can also be expected, which will deprive Ukraine of its rights and privileges. It will be the first precedent of this kind.
Ukraine had a chance to prove its Europeanness and finally implement its intentions to reform the environmental management sphere in line with the European standards. However, this situation reminds us of 2013, when Yanukovych changed the course and betrayed the European expectations of the Ukrainian people.
Therefore, we call on the President: