Government Activity

During the period from August 31 to September 4, 2026 alone, the Government submitted 29 draft laws to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine concerning various areas of legislation, including five draft laws aimed at adapting Ukrainian legislation to European Union law.

One of these documents is the Draft Law “On Amendments to the Criminal Code of Ukraine to Improve Liability for Criminal Offenses against the Environment and in the Field of Waste Management” (Reg. No. 16040 dated September 4, 2026).

The draft law proposes amendments to the Criminal Code of Ukraine aimed at improving legislation on criminal offenses against the environment and in the field of waste management, in particular, to the following Articles of the Special Part of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:

• Article 236 “Violation of Environmental Safety Rules”;
• Article 237 “Failure to Take Measures to Eliminate the Consequences of Environmental Pollution”;
• Article 239 “Pollution or Damage to Land”;
• Article 241 “Air Pollution”;
• Article 242 “Violation of Water Protection Rules”.

The draft law also establishes the threshold for significant damage caused by criminal offenses against the environment and in the field of waste management. Thus, under Note 2 to Articles 236, 239, 241 and 242 of the draft law, significant damage is defined as damage amounting to one hundred or more times the tax-free minimum income of citizens.

Note 3 to Articles 236, 237, 239, 241 and 242 of the draft law also defines serious consequences as damage amounting to two hundred or more times the tax-free minimum income of citizens, or a significant deterioration of the environmental situation in a particular region (area).

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