On December 7-8, the technological platform “Implementation of European Union standards in Ukraine for the efficient and balanced use of energy, mineral, water and land resources” initiated by the Ukrainian Association of Geologists was presented in Kyiv. The goal is to combine the efforts of the state, private and scientific sectors to ensure sustainable economic development of the state. The initiative will be implemented by adopting the provisions of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU and relevant EU directives in the legislation of Ukraine.
A new form of cooperation is presented in the framework of the Sixth Traditional Congress of Geologists of Ukraine. This year, the geological forum brought together top managers of specialized companies and services, representatives of diplomatic missions of EU countries, foreign and domestic experts, heads of leading enterprises of the industry and public unions of Ukraine.
“The scientific community invites the public and private sectors of the economy to join forces. Only together we are able to achieve economic stability. The activity of the Platform are primarily aimed at facilitating the entry of Ukraine into international markets. We are simply obliged to bring the quality of domestic products and services to European standards by re-equipping production, improving technological processes, and introducing EU regulations and standards. In particular, the path to achieving leading positions should be energy efficient and inexhaustible for natural resources, according to the President of the Ukrainian
Association of Geologists Pavlo Zagorodniuk. We should not forget that on October 25 this year the Government of Ukraine approved the Action Plan for the implementation of the Agreement that, in fact, determines the European integration as an integral part of the strategic planning of the socio-economic development of the state and leads to the urgent need to reform the domestic economy, including the field of environmental management, in accordance with the requirements of the law EU.
Scientists note that the new platform involves the preparation of scientific and technological initiatives and recommendations to authorities, the scientific community and business to solve pressing problems.
Within the framework of the sixth traditional congress of geologists of Ukraine, its organizers and participants raised a number of issues for attracting the geological public to implement measures aimed at integrating Ukraine into the European Union, providing for the modernization and intensification of innovative development in the field of environmental management.
The Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, Ivanna Klimpush-Tsintsadze, noted during her welcoming speech that she supported the position of the geological community on the need to reform public and economic relations in the field of environmental management in accordance with the requirements and provisions of European Union law. The Vice Prime Minister also recommended the relevant ministries and departments to join the work within the framework of the Platform. The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Finland to Ukraine, Mr. Juha Virtanen, gave a positive assessment of the platform.
“The introduction of a technology platform within the implementation of the Association Agreement with the EU is important and well-timed. We support this initiative and consider it promising. Finland is a country with a high level of culture in the use of natural resources. I hope that we will be useful to each other and welcome the opportunity for cooperation between Ukraine and Finland in this area,” Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Finland to Ukraine Mr. Juha Virtanen said.
The Embassy of Lithuania, the Embassy of France, the Embassy of France and the Embassy of Austria also congratulated on the initiative.
“The European Federation of Geologists welcomes the initiative, since the issue of providing natural resources and preserving the environment is all-European, therefore, it is important that EU standards for environmental management to be successfully implemented in Ukraine,” Marko Komac, a member of the European Federation of Geologists (EFG), said.
“The platform offers a specific algorithm for cooperation between the public, private and scientific sectors. As for me, this is a promising symbiosis. As part of the implementation of the Association Agreement with the EU, this initiative is extremely relevant. Therefore, a number of provisions are related to strategic and natural resources. For their rational use, it is necessary to reload the dialogue of investors and local communities. The new legal model of cooperation between business and local communities, initiated by us, will provide a real dialogue with the regions. People are no longer a "resource", as it was in Soviet times. People have the right to make decisions on how their region should be developed,” noted Iryna Suprun, a chairman of the Board of the NGO "Science, Exploration and Production".
In turn, the director of DGE Group, Gediminas Cyzius, shared the experience of Lithuania in the purification of ground waters in accordance with a number of European Union Directives and wised Ukraine a quicker implementation of the European experience, which is possible thanks to such a platform.
Participation in the new Technology Platform is voluntary. Its activity is based on the principles of free cooperation, combining the efforts of interested participants and concentrating their capabilities on solving specific problems, according to scientists. You can join the founders of the Platform before 31 January 2018.