Forest sector reform in Ukraine: EU-funded project sends letter to government

Forest sector reform in Ukraine: EU-funded project sends letter to government

19 January 2016

Ukraine– The experts of FLEG II, an EU-funded project promoting forest law reform, have sent a letter to the National Reform Council under the President of Ukraine. The letter was drafted as a result of a round table discussion with a number of stakeholders aiming to implement the reform and shed light on the transparency of the process.

The list of participants included representatives of Ukraines Verkhovna Rada, Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, State Agency of Forest Resources, other key government agencies, national and foreign experts, business community, donors and the general public.

To implement the reform and make it a success, FLEG II experts suggest creating a high-level working group, which will report directly to the Vice Prime Minister. The letter states the following:

The forest sector reform is about the management of our key nature resource, the heritage of Ukrainian people. The responsibility for the forest management is divided between several ministries and regional and local authorities. Taking that into account, it is critical to create a high-level working group that will lead the work on the reform safeguarding the state and public interests.

According to its press release, FLEG II sent similar letters to committees of the Verkhovna Rada (on environmental policy, the agro-industrial complex and entrepreneurship) as well as a number of relevant ministries and agencies.

The 9 million ENPI FLEG II programme aims to improve forest law enforcement in seven countries including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine. It carries out pilot projects and addresses forest fire and climate issues, building upon the achievements of its predecessor, the ENPI FLEG I programme.

19. January 2016/by GFMCadmin