The Ministry of Environmental Protection will propose to the Parliament to increase fines for environmental violations by several or tens of times.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources has prepared a draft law on amendments to the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses (KUoAP) regarding a significant increase in fines in the field of ecology, said Minister Roman Abramovsky.
"We want... to significantly increase fines within the framework of a comprehensive reform of the KUoAP regarding environmental issues. (...) In some places, the increase will be limited by indexation, but for almost all positions, we plan to significantly increase fines - several times and even tens of times," Abramovsky said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
He clarified that this primarily concerns poaching, as well as crimes of officials related to air and water pollution, and waste management.
The minister emphasized that the current amounts of fines in the KUoAP, "to put it mildly," are insignificant, ineffective, do not scare anyone, and therefore do not prevent offenses. He reminded that in most cases, the amount of fines has not been revised since 1997 and remains at a very low level, for example, 17 or 32 UAH.
According to Abramovsky, the relevant draft law is being considered by the legal committee of the Rada.
"We have provided the concept, the justification of our position, now we are agreeing on which areas and by how much the fines should be increased," explained the head of the environmental agency.
"I very much hope that this draft law will be adopted as a law in the first quarter of next year," the minister said.
Source <https://ua.interfax.com.ua/news/economic/711941.html>