Ukraine to Introduce Unified Environmental Permit System for Businesses

This was discussed during a roundtable meeting, the ministry’s press service reports.

«Industrial pollution prevention reform is one of the key environmental reforms Ukraine must implement as part of European integration. We are now preparing for the next stage — unifying the permitting system for enterprises. For businesses, this will mean simpler and standardized procedures, less administrative burden, transparent and predictable operating rules, and gradual alignment with European environmental regulation approaches,» said Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture Oleksii Sobolev.

Participants of the roundtable discussed the next steps of the industrial pollution prevention and control reform in Ukraine, including the digitalization and unification of permitting procedures for enterprises that do not fall under the requirements of Directive 2010/75/EU (groups 2 and 3), development of the integrated environmental permit system, business adaptation to new environmental requirements, and international experience in implementing European environmental standards.

The ministry noted that, as part of the reform, the Law of Ukraine «On Integrated Industrial Pollution Prevention and Control» has already entered into force. The law implements the provisions of Directive 2010/75/EU on industrial emissions and introduces an integrated approach to the permitting system — one integrated environmental permit instead of three separate procedures covering air emissions, special water use, and waste management.

At the same time, the ministry has already developed, and the government has approved, all secondary legislation required for the implementation of the law, including 14 resolutions, one Cabinet of Ministers order, and three ministerial decrees.An IT system for issuing integrated environmental permits has also been developed and tested and is already available on the EcoSystem platform.

In addition, 14 reference documents on Best Available Techniques and Management Practices (BAT) have already been translated, and agreements have been reached regarding the translation of additional European BAT reference documents.

Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture Oleksandr Krasnolutskyi said the ministry has already received the first application for an Integrated Environmental Permit (IEP), which is currently under review.

«Taking into account the experience gained from implementing integrated environmental permits and digitalizing procedures, we plan to launch the next stage of the reform — unifying permitting activities for second- and third-group enterprises. Our task is to make the system clearer, more transparent, and more convenient for businesses while ensuring an appropriate level of environmental control,» he said.