The Government has expanded the list of open data in the environmental sector. The relevant amendments, developed by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, were approved today at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. In particular, 11 new datasets have been added to the list of data to be published. Another seven positions have been clarified and five outdated ones have been removed.

With this decision, the list of environmental data sets is brought in line with the Laws On Waste Management, On Air Protection, On Licensing of Economic Activities, On Pesticides and Agrochemicals. After all, with the launch of European integration changes in the environmental sector, a large amount of new information is already emerging, and new registers will be created. Access to such information should be open to Ukrainians.

Therefore, the following are added to the datasets to be created and published: Register of business entities obliged to submit a waste declaration;

• Register of permits for waste treatment operations;
• Register of manufacturers of products subject to extended producer responsibility; Register of extended producer responsibility organisations;
• Register of business entities in the field of waste treatment;
• Register of by-products (Register of business entities in whose production process a given substance or object is defined as a by-product);
• Register of termination of waste status (Register of Business Entities Declaring the Termination of Waste Status);
• Register of Business Entities for Waste Collection and Storage Operations;
• Register of Business Entities for Waste Transportation Operations; Circular and Low Carbon Economy Data Sets;
• Information on Permits for the Use of Highly Hazardous Chemicals that are Being Withdrawn from the Market.

It should be reminded that free access to environmental information is guaranteed by the Constitution of Ukraine and a number of legislative acts. In addition, Ukraine has signed and ratified the Aarhus Convention, whereby it has committed itself to guaranteeing the right to access to information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters.