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Danish - Ukranian Environmental Co-operation 1993-2002

Chapter 3
Ukraine - Towards Substainable Developement?

The current state of the environment to a great extent reflects the historic development of Ukraine. As in many countries, since of the past and changing economic situation influences the state of the environment. Ukraine has vast natural resources that in future should be exploited in a sustainable way, to secure a sound and clean environment for future generations.

Today, Ukraine as an independent country in transition is on its way to be a country where economic development goes hand in hand with strategies for a sustainable use of natural resources.

For ages, the basic mode of utilising natural resources in Ukraine was by agriculture; the cultivation of crops. This is clearly reflected in the nation's mentality, its attitude and profound respect for nature. However, there have been examples of some extremities and abuses in the use of nature and natural resources in Ukraine. These were especially dramatic at the end of the nineteenth century and in the first half of the twentieth century. Steppes were transformed into arable lands; new mines and quarries for developing deposits and extracting minerals were created; new industrial objects were built, etc. During that time, Ukraine provided approx. 70 per cent of raw materials in the former Russian Empire, but only 15 per cent of goods production.

After the well-known events of 1917, the process of industrialisation in the USSR was aimed primarily at extensive use of both the natural resources. The collectivisation forcefully introduced into agricultural sectors in 1929, resulted in a decline and degradation of agricultural production. Traditional methods of using the land were changed and the natural stability and equilibrium of the environment were affected.

The ecological disaster

The nuclear catastrophe at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant on 26 April 1986 was the ultimate point of the ecological disaster in Ukraine. The Chernobyl aftermath extends far beyond strictly environmental issues to a whole complex of socioeconomic, medical, biological, psychological, ethical, ideological and cultural problems. The Chernobyl catastrophe empha-sises the close ties between the ethos and environment. In the mid-1980s, Ukraine was at the brink of ecological crisis.

A decline of nature

It should be mentioned that Ukraine features the highest indicators in Europe as for plough-ing-up of agriculture lands, use of fresh surface water and deforestation. Pollution and degradation of the environment, particularly reservoirs and soils, atmospheric air in large and medium towns and industrial centres have become quite extensive.

The former Soviet-style system of management of the national economy and environmental policy, which was dominant in Ukraine for almost the whole of the twentieth century, resulted also in profound changes of landscapes and habitats. In particular, the area occupied by natural plant communities decreased to about 29 per cent of the total territory of the country. Now the forest areas occupy about 14.3 per cent as compared to 45 per cent at the beginning of the century. The steppes almost disappeared as a natural biome. Anthropogenic pollution of territories with such pollutants as heavy metals, radio nuclides, and stable organic compounds has led to the decline of genetic, coenotic and ecological diversity and stability. At the same time, Ukraine has a rich biota, which consists of more than 25,000 species of plants and fungi and 45,000 species of animals, which must be saved.

A new start

The right of the Ukrainian citizens to a favour-able environment was first proclaimed in the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine. Starting from 1991, independent Ukraine was forming its environmental policy as part of the national policy. In spite of the deep economic crisis, transition from the strictly centralised economy towards a market-based one, processes of the transformation of political system in Ukraine, the foundations of the modern environmental policy have been established in Ukraine. The state environmental policy is directed towards a combination of economic development with non-depleting use of natural resources, comprehensive solution of economic and environmental problems and arrangement of conditions favourable for solution of environmental problems at national, regional and local levels.

European choice

Throughout the 90's Ukraine has signed or ratified a number of international environmental agreements, which oblige Ukraine to certain actions.

Presently, one international agreement seems to be important in the field of environmental protection, insofar as it is on the top of the agenda of the Ukrainian Government. That is the Partnership and Co-operation Agreement (PCA) between the EU and Ukraine, which was enforced on 1 March 1998.

The PCA is seen as an important instrument in bringing Ukraine in line with the legal frameworks of the single European market and the WTO system. Most important with regard to environmental policy are approximation of laws, including environmental laws and regulations, which obliges the parties to solve a number of environmental problems.

In June 1998, the President of Ukraine adopted a decree, titled "On the Strategy for Ukraine’s Integration into the European Union". It states that "the main priority of Ukraine’s foreign policy in the medium term is the attainment of associate member status in the EU" and envisages the approximation of Ukrainian economic, social and environmental legislation to the standards required of countries applying for admission to the EU. In December 1999, the Helsinki European Council adopted an EU Common Strategy on Ukraine. It aims at developing a strategic partnership between the EU and Ukraine on the basis of the PCA, while welcoming the country’s outspoken European choice.