Guidance on environmental regulation of SMEs with a low level of environmental risk in Ukraine

This chapter provides guidance on how Ukraine can reform its environmental regulation of low-risk SMEs, and where possible move to a regulatory regime based on general binding rules (GBRs). The chapter begins with an exploration of the current state of play in Ukraine and the legacy of Soviet regulation. It also explores some of the weaknesses and inefficiencies that currently face the permitting based system. The chapter draws upon the standards and experiences of EU countries and the EU as a whole as a basis for the guidance it provides. It explores the advantages and disadvantages of GBRs, the costs of developing GBRs, the estimated number of GBRs that would need to be developed in Ukraine, and the challenge of applying GBRs to existing and new facilities.