Environmental neglect may derail Ukraine's EU bid — Ukraine's former minister

Ostap Semerak, Ukraine's former Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, said this in an interview with Yuriy Fizer on the European Space program on Espreso TV.

"For the EU, environmental protection is an important aspect, encompassing not only this but also climate change. Climate change is an extremely important element of EU policy in areas such as industrial development, lifestyle, standard of living, the introduction of future technologies, and the quality of life of citizens," Semerak noted.

According to the former Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, the European Commission's preliminary assessments of Ukraine's achievements in the field of environment and climate will appear in the fall of 2025. After the EU provides its conclusions, the second stage will begin: the preparation of a national plan for the implementation of European legislation in this area.

"This cluster may not be the first to be opened, but it will not be the last to be closed. Usually, the first, basic cluster, which concerns standards of justice, the rule of law, etc., is closed last. These are fundamental things for the European Union, and they should be for us as well.

I mention this because the first cluster, which is almost ready, cannot be closed due to Hungary's position. Its closure will take place only after the completion of work on the climate and environmental clusters," Semerak noted.

The former Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine added that if we evaluate the volume of tasks in pages or paragraphs, the environmental component is probably the most voluminous—both in terms of the number of regulatory legal acts and laws that need to be adopted, and in terms of the need for further adoption of by-laws, in particular, resolutions of the Cabinet of Ministers, etc.

"From my experience of more than three and a half years as the Minister of Ecology, I sense a serious threat, not because Ukrainian society is not ready, but because Ukrainian politicians do not consider these issues as priorities. It is good that we have partners in Europe who encourage us to do this," Semerak emphasized.

• The Foreign Affairs Committees of the Parliaments of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have published a joint statement on full support for Ukraine on its path to membership in NATO and the European Union.