Gov't sets up State Commission on Technogenic and Environmental Safety and Emergency Situations

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has established the State Commission on Technogenic and Environmental Safety and Emergency Situations. A corresponding decree №18 was taken by the Government during the visiting session, which took place on January 26, at the State Emergency Service.

The resolution approves a composition and activities of the State Commission on Technogenic and Environmental Safety and Emergency Situations. As was reported Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk is appointed to chair the State Emergency Commission and Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Utilities Hennadii Zubko and Chairman of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine Serhii Bochkovsky as his deputies.

Pursuant to the provision, the State Commission on Technogenic and Environmental Safety and Emergency Situations is “a permanent authority called to ensure coordination of activities of central and local executive bodies and its duties include providing technogenic and environmental safety, protection of the population and territories from emergencies, taking organizational measures to counter terrorism and military threats, prevent emergencies and respond to them".

The Commission's objectives, in particular, comprise coordination of activities of central and local executive authorities regarding: informing the population about an emergency situation; conducting rescue and other emergency operations; liquidation of consequences of emergency situations; humanitarian operations, activities to localize and liquidate consequences of emergency situations; carrying out if necessary, measures for evacuation; ensuring the survivability of national economy and public administration objects and stable functioning of the fuel and energy complex; ensuring operation of transport infrastructure, postal services and all kinds of electrical communication; implementation of measures for the protection of health and sanitary-epidemic welfare of the population, social protection of the affected population, etc.

The activities of the State Emergency Commission are conducted in close cooperation with the Government, central and local executive authorities. The Commission also supervises and controls the work of the commissions on technogenic and environmental safety and emergency situations in the regions.

Moreover, on January 26, 2015, the Government adopted a resolution, which introduces a high alert regime and emergency regime. This decision is caused by the need to coordinate the actions of state authorities in order to protect the population, territories and properties, the functioning of the unified state civil protection system to overcome the effects of the emergency situations at the state level, those caused by the aggravation of the situation in certain areas of Ukraine, the threat of terrorist acts and in compliance with articles 13 and 14 of the Code of Civil Protection of Ukraine.

Thus, the regime of emergency was introduced in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. For the rest of the regions a high alert regime was set.

Apart from that, the Cabinet of Ministers approved another resolution, which granted permission to conduct inspections for compliance with the legislation in the civil protection sphere. The decision was made to increase the readiness of authorities and civil protection agencies to respond to emergency situations in peacetime and a special period, to prevent their occurrence.

While informing about this decision the Prime Minister reported during a meeting of the President of Ukraine with representatives of parliamentary coalition factions that preliminary verification of civil protection facilities and objects had demonstrated that “half of the objects proved not ready to accommodate people”.