During a working meeting between the business community and representatives of the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine, Mykhailo Sokolov, Deputy Chairman of the Ukrainian Agri Council (UAC), raised concerns about inconsistent enforcement practices regarding Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) requirements for irrigation systems.

During the discussion, Mykhailo Sikolov highlighted the situation in the Odesa region, where prosecutors are requiring annual Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) procedures for irrigation systems that were originally built during the Soviet era and have not undergone any changes to their design parameters or operational boundaries.

"In practice, this means repeating approval procedures for facilities that have existed for decades and have not been modified. At the same time, obtaining an EIA conclusion costs approximately UAH 500,000 and takes at least six months. For farmers who are restoring operations after wartime disruptions, this represents a disproportionate financial and time burden," he stated.

According to the UAC, such a practice creates additional barriers to the restoration of irrigation infrastructure, which is critically important for southern regions of Ukraine in the context of climate change and the consequences of the war.

The event brought together leaders of more than 30 leading Ukrainian business associations and was attended by Deputy Prosecutor General Maksym Krym and Ashot Gevorkyan, Head of the relevant department of the Prosecutor General’s Office.

The meeting was organized by the Ukrainian Business Council, the European Business Association, and the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine with the support of the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE).