On 11 April 2025, Oleh Bondarenko, Head of the Environmental Policy and Nature Management Committee, met with the management of the Promotion of multifunctional sustainable forest management planning and implementation in Ukraine (SFI) project, the forestry programme of GFA Consulting Group and the IAK Agrar Consulting GmbH.
The event was held as a follow-up to the meeting on 7 February 2025 on the topic ‘German experience of legal regulation of forest reproductive resources for implementation in Ukraine’.
In his welcoming remarks, Oleg Bondarenko first of all thanked the Federal Republic of Germany for its continued support and assistance to Ukraine and noted the importance of the project ‘Promotion of multifunctional sustainable forest management planning and implementation in Ukraine’ for the Committee on Environmental Policy and Nature Management, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine and the State Forest Resources Agency of Ukraine.
The Chairman of the Committee noted that on its way to the European Union, Ukraine has to implement a number of EU directives, in particular EUDR (EU Deforestation Regulation), which requires revision of forestry legislation. That is why an initiative has been launched to create a new version of the Forest Code of Ukraine and other forestry legislation to bring it in line with EU legislation. The conditions and principles of forest management in Ukraine also need to be revised and the principles of close-to-nature forest management introduced. Despite the existing challenges and tasks, the Committee on Environmental Policy and Nature Management is ready to continue implementing the initiated reforms with the support of its partners.
Christian Aschenbach, Forestry Programme Manager at GFA Consulting Group, in his turn, thanked on behalf of the German Ministry of Food and Agriculture for the cooperation and assured that Germany would continue to stand by Ukraine. He also noted the continued support of the project’s steering group in implementing reforms.
Volker Sasse, SFI Project Leader, noted the good cooperation with the Committee on Environmental Policy and Nature Management in the framework of the project, which will run until September 2027. He noted that the topic of close-to-nature forest management may be of common interest for further development of specific forest management mechanisms by the project. He also noted a strong interest in further cooperation with the Committee on Environmental Policy and Nature Management and the State Forest Resources Agency of Ukraine.
Syman Jurk, International Project Coordinator at IAK Agrar Consulting GmbH, welcomed the proactive position of the Committee in the framework of cooperation.
Oleg Bondarenko thanked for the continuity of communication before the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as well as now, for cooperation and exchange of information on the state of forests affected by the war. Such fruitful cooperation is the basis for the further implementation of the project ‘Promotion of multifunctional sustainable forest management planning and implementation in Ukraine’.
The Head of the Committee also informed that on 20 June 2022, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the Law of Ukraine ‘On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine on Forest Conservation’ No. 2321-IX, which introduced a system for identifying, recording and determining the further status of self-sown forests. At the same time, the effectiveness of the proposed mechanism is insufficient, and the transfer of forests is slow, which calls for further improvement of the legislation.
During the meeting, Oleg Bondarenko noted that one of the main topics of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which will be held in 2025 in Brazil, is forest conservation and its role in climate policy. He expressed hope that Ukraine would be able to present its progress in this area.
‘The Law of Ukraine ‘On the Basic Principles of the State Climate Policy’ No. 3991-IX adopted by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on 8 October 2024 contains the basis for coordinating all sectoral policies (including forestry and agriculture) with climate policy, and the consideration of climate change mitigation requirements in these policies, so the issue of conservation, forest enhancement, carbon sequestration through afforestation is extremely important for us, and we will certainly be glad if Germany shares this experience with us,’ said the Head of the Committee.
The participants of the meeting agreed to continue close cooperation and exchange of experience between Ukraine and the Federal Republic of Germany in bringing Ukraine’s environmental legislation in line with EU standards and requirements.
Committee on Environmental Policy and Nature Management of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine
