Ukrainian parliament passes climate policy framework bill
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine approved bill No. 11310 on the basic principles of state climate policy on Tuesday, October 8, according to MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak (from the Holos party).
"The Rada has passed bill No. 11310 on the basic principles of state climate policy. The vote was 284 in favor," he wrote on his Telegram channel on Tuesday.
The bill aims to help fulfill Ukraine's commitments towards European integration, as it was developed to bring national climate legislation closer to the EU's climate acquis. Furthermore, the adoption of the bill is one of the indicators of Ukraine's progress on the Ukraine Facility Plan, according to MP Oleh Bondarenko, head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Environmental Policy and Natural Resources, as cited on the Servant of the People party's website.
Bondarenko emphasized that the law sets out the main legal and organizational foundations for state climate policy, aimed at ensuring Ukraine's low-carbon development, achieving climate neutrality, and adapting to climate change.
"State climate policy is about meeting Ukraine’s international obligations under various international agreements, particularly the Paris and Montreal agreements. We need to lay the groundwork for a climate strategy that will allow us to work over the next 30 years to reduce the impact of climate change on the livelihoods of our citizens," Bondarenko said.
The bill on the basic principles of state climate policy was developed in response to the decision of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council from March 23, 2021, titled "On the Challenges and Threats to National Security of Ukraine in the Environmental Sphere and Priority Measures to Neutralize Them," enacted by the presidential decree No. 111 from March 23, 2021, and in line with task 105 of the legislative work plan for 2023 approved by the Verkhovna Rada on February 7, 2023.