New technologies are needed to develop a green economy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, and implement a sustainable green transition.
The European Raw Materials Alliance (ERMA) recently published a report, Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion: A European Call to Action, which emphasises the implementation of concrete and measurable actions to ensure a sustainable supply of critical raw materials to the European Union, outlined in the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act. One of these actions is the development of European innovations and technological capabilities in the field of batteries.
By 2030, carbon emissions from new cars purchased in the EU must be reduced by 55%. Such a bar was set in the package of legislative initiatives “Fit for 55”, which aims to ensure a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the EU by 55% by 2030. In 2035, all new cars for sale must have zero emissions. This increases the demand for electric cars, which entails an increase in the demand for batteries, which, in turn, requires more and more raw materials for their production. Since mineral reserves are finite, there is a need to develop innovative technologies in the field of batteries to increase their productivity and capacity.
The most common material used in batteries is lithium. And the most effective use as the main batteries for electric cars is lithium-ion batteries.
Nevertheless, lithium-ion batteries have a number of disadvantages:
Graphite is used to increase the power and capacity of lithium-ion batteries. Graphite is a mineral of the class of native semimetals, the most stable crystalline form of carbon in the earth’s crust. Graphite-based materials (eg, graphite-LiMO2) are commonly used as substitutes for pure metal anodes.
Graphene is an allotropic modification of carbon. It is one of the many physical forms that carbon can exist in, consisting of a single layer of atoms arranged in a honeycomb lattice. In 2004, the University of Manchester managed to separate the atomic layer of graphene from the graphite crystal. Due to its strength, reliability and flexibility, graphene has great potential for use in many fields. Among them are battery technologies, technology for the desalination of seawater to a state suitable for drinking, and road construction.
In 2011, Northwestern University engineers discovered that graphene anodes store energy better than graphite, resulting in ten times better battery life. In 2013, researchers at Rice University in Texas predicted that graphene with some boron atoms added could be used to produce an ultra-thin, flexible anode for lithium-ion batteries. Boron helps the lithium ions stick to the graphene, thereby helping to ensure fast charging. Rice University researchers also found that graphene mixed with vanadium oxide can be used to develop high-efficiency cathodes that can be recharged in 20 seconds while retaining more than 90% of their capacity after long-term use.
Graphene is also used in other battery components. In April 2019, a graphene sponge was discovered that could help stabilise lithium-sulphur batteries. In June 2020, a team of researchers from Brown University found a way to use graphene to double the strength of the ceramic material used to make solid-state lithium-ion batteries.
Accordingly, graphite is an important raw material both for modern battery production and in the development of innovative technologies. In addition, it is included in the list of critical raw materials of the EU – those raw materials that are critically important for strategic sectors of the EU economy and 90% of which are imported from non-European countries.
Ukraine occupies one of the leading places in the world in terms of the number of graphite deposits and discovered reserves. Four graphite-bearing regions are distinguished within the Ukrainian Crystalline Shield: Berdychivskyi, Pobuzkyi, Kryvorizkyi and Pryazovskyi, where about 100 deposits and manifestations of crystalline graphite are located. However, today only two deposits are being developed in Ukraine: Zavallivske deposit is being developed by PJSC “Zavallivskyi Graphite Combine” (South-Eastern section, Kirovohrad region) and LLC “Ukrainian Supply Group” (Zarichna section, Odesa region), and Balakhivske deposit (Southern section, Kirovohrad region) developed by LLC “Development of Pobuzhia”. In general, graphite has been mined in Ukraine since 1931 at the Zavallivskyi graphite plant. It also processes graphite ores for various industries (in particular, for the battery industry).
In 2021, SPYS Ukraine LLC won the auction for the sale of special permits for the use of the subsoil of the Horodniavske section of the Burtyn graphite deposit (Khmelnytskyi region).
In addition, there are still unlicensed deposits and areas in Ukraine where graphite mining can begin.
In order for the extraction and processing of graphite in Ukraine to develop in accordance with the potential, significant investments are needed – both for the development of new industrial sites and for the replacement of outdated technological equipment at those sites that are already working. In 2021, Ukraine exported more than 17,000 tons of graphite to world markets, making it the sixth-largest producer in the world. The full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation forced the suspension of the activities of the main enterprises for the extraction of raw materials, but for the sake of the rapid post-war recovery of Ukraine, everything must be done to restore their activities and start new ones.
Experts of the “New Subsoil Code of Ukraine” Project are preparing several studies for publication, including a review of advanced battery technologies in Ukraine, which analyses the connections and potential value chains between the needs of battery manufacturers in the EU and the corresponding raw materials and production in Ukraine. To ensure you don’t miss a research publication, follow the information resources of the BRDO or subscribe to the monthly digest.
The project is financed by the European Union and implemented by the Consortium consisting of experts from Projekt-Consult (Germany), MinPol (Austria) and the Better Regulation Delivery Office (Ukraine). This publication reflects the position of the Project and does not necessarily coincide with the position of the European Commission.
It becomes safe to buy future apartments in buildings that are just under construction. From now on, the construction customer must first register special property rights for such housing in the State Register of Real Property Rights on immovable property based on information obtained from the Single State Electronic System in the Field of Construction (EDESSB), and then alienate them to buyers at any stage of construction implementation. Such registration is possible only if there is a valid right to perform construction works.
This became possible within the framework of the implementation of the Law of Ukraine 2518-IX, in the development of which BRDO team participated.
Why is this important?
From now on, information about each future apartment or other object in the future building – location and main technical characteristics – will be entered into the EDESSB, information about special property rights to them – recorded in the State Register of Real Property Rights. This will provide protection against many risks and frauds that have been prevalent in the market for the sale of newly built housing.
Thanks to the new mechanism of registration of special property rights, a Ukrainian can become a full-fledged owner even of a future real estate object at any stage of construction and has the right to demand from the developer exactly the apartment that is recorded in the agreement and in the register. Also, the developer will not be able to change the technical characteristics of the apartment without the consent of the owner.
What was before?
Previously, there were many schemes for the purchase of apartments in the primary real estate market (preliminary real estate purchase agreement, property rights purchase agreement, etc.). But such agreements did not guarantee either property rights for future housing, or the provision by the developer of housing with the characteristics stated in the contract. In the event that the developer fails to fulfill his obligations, the person who invested in the future apartment had to prove his property rights in court. This situation led to the spread of a significant number of abuses, in particular, as experts claimed, every fifth deal on the market of new buildings fell into the section of dubious ones.
The most common abuses were multiple sales of one apartment to different buyers at the same time, unilateral change by the developer of the technical characteristics of the future apartment, etc. Also, the fact that in the event of any problems with the developer before the end of construction, the citizens who invested in him did not have the right to future apartments did not work in favor of the buyers.
Developers constructing objects whose construction permits were issued after October 10, 2022, are already required to register special property rights for future real estate. You can check the date of obtaining a construction permit in the Register of Construction Activities on the EDESSB portal in the “Declarative and Permit Documents” section.
The single state electronic system in the field of construction was developed by the Ministry of Community Development, Territories and Infrastructure in cooperation with the Ministry of Digital Transformation with the support of the USAID/UK aid project “Transparency and Accountability in Public Administration and Services/TAPAS”.
Specialists of the BRDO participated in the development of the Law of Ukraine “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine on Improving the Procedure for Providing Administrative Services in the Field of Construction and Creating a Unified State Electronic System in the Field of Construction”, which introduced the possibility of obtaining services in the field of construction precisely in in electronic form, as well as the Procedure for Conducting the EDESSB.
On May 15, during the EIT Raw Materials Summit, a report of the European Raw Materials Alliance, “Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion: A European Call for Action”, was published.
This report is a logical continuation of the EU Regulation on ensuring a sustainable supply of critical raw materials to the European Union (Critical Raw Materials Act), which emphasises the implementation of concrete and measurable actions by relevant working groups representing key stakeholders from industry, public and private scientific and technical organisations, academia and civil society.
The report provides the first clear road map for addressing the challenges of the entire mineral value chain: from exploration to processing. The focus is on four main strategic areas: materials in solar energy, battery materials, fuel cells and electrolysers, alternative energy storage and conversion – and specific recommendations and actions are prescribed for each.
Key actions outlined in the ERMA report include:
All this, together with the EU Regulation published at the beginning of spring on ensuring the sustainable supply of critical raw materials to the European Union, is intended to guarantee the EU access to those minerals that are critical for the development of the European Union’s economy.
One of the key actions identified in the ERMA report is the development of strategic partnerships with countries rich in natural resources. In this regard, Ukraine occupies a prominent place, because, unlike countries such as Chile, Australia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with which the EU is only planning to sign agreements on strategic partnership, Ukraine is part of Europe – at least geographically, at the moment, which reduces the cost of both time and money required for the delivery of mined minerals to the EU as well as value-added goods, finished products, etc. In addition, Ukraine was one of the first countries with which the EU signed the Memorandum of Understanding on a Strategic Partnership on Raw Materials. As stated in the report, ERMA was the driver of the signing of the Memorandum and the corresponding roadmap of activities on July 13, 2021, between Ukraine and the EU.
Furthermore, ERMA brings together organisations from the public and private sectors covering the entire mineral value chain. Ukraine is also represented in this Alliance – its members are the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine, the State Geological Survey of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Association of Geologists, the Institute of Geology of KNU named after T.G. Shevchenko, as well as two Ukrainian enterprises – “Mine Extraction” LLC, which has a special permit for the extraction of chrome ores from the Kapitanskyi deposit in the Kirovohrad region, and “Zavallivskyi Graphite” LLC, which is a producer of natural graphite from the ores of the Zavalliv deposit, also located in the Kirovohrad region.
ERMA can be joined by any organisation working in the field of mineral resources – a private business, a research institution or an NGO. Participation in such European alliances expands Ukraine’s opportunities to cooperate with the EU and attract investments. According to the State Geological Survey of Ukraine, there are deposits of 22 out of 34 minerals that are on the critical raw materials list of the EU located on the territory of our country. Ukraine is among the top 10 producers of titanium, manganese, zirconium and graphite, and has proven reserves of metals associated with a low-carbon future used in innovative technologies. European investment is what is needed to increase the extraction of minerals critical for the EU and to create supply chains of critical raw materials to the countries of the Union.
To remind, BRDO experts work as part of the EU Project “New Subsoil Code of Ukraine”, the main tasks of which in 2023 are:
In the near future, we will publish the analysis of our experts regarding the compliance of the Law of Ukraine No. 2805 with EU law. The Law of Ukraine “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine Regarding the Improvement of Legislation in the Field of Subsoil Use” dated December 1, 2022 (No. 2805-IX) entered into force on March 28, 2023, and creates new rules in the field of subsoil use for the purpose of development and investment attraction.
The project is financed by the European Union and implemented by the Consortium consisting of experts from Projekt-Consult (Germany), MinPol (Austria) and the Better Regulation Delivery Office (Ukraine). This publication reflects the position of the Project and does not necessarily coincide with the position of the European Commission.
On May 30, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved Resolution No. 600 “On Approval of the Procedure for Providing Compensation for Destroyed Real Estate Objects.”
This Procedure defines the mechanism for providing compensation for destroyed immovable property and its use in accordance with the Law of Ukraine No. 2923-IX “On compensation for damage and destruction of certain categories of immovable property as a result of hostilities, acts of terrorism, sabotage caused by armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, and the State Register of property damaged and destroyed as a result of hostilities, acts of terrorism, and sabotage caused by the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.” Accordingly, it describes the procedures for submitting and considering applications, the formula for calculating the amount of compensation, the procedures for providing funds to finance the construction of a manor house, garden or country house, etc. The BRDO team participated in the development of the Law and the Decree.
Thus, an application for receiving compensation can be submitted both in paper and electronic form.
Commissions must consider an application for compensation within no more than 30 days, except when the destroyed real estate is located in the area of military (combat) operations or in temporary occupation.
Owners of destroyed housing will receive cash to finance the construction of a manor-type house, garden or country house, or housing certificates for the purchase of housing.
In order to receive compensation for financing the construction of a manor house, a garden house or a country house, the applicant must open a current account with a special mode of use for crediting the compensation in one of the banks of Ukraine, with which the Ministry of Digital has entered into an appropriate electronic information interaction agreement. Compensations will be paid to applicants through Oschadbank JSC. After the decision to pay compensation, JSC “Oschadbank” shall transfer the funds to special bank accounts of compensation recipients no later than during the next working day from the date of receipt of funds.
Nevertheless, if the accrued compensation funds were not fully spent, then after 3 years from the date of their enrollment, they are returned by the banks to the account of Oschadbank JSC, and Oschadbank JSC, in turn, returns them to the state.
It is impossible to withdraw cash from a special account to which compensation for destroyed real estate was credited. Accordingly, the owners of the destroyed housing can use the funds to finance the construction of a manor-type house, a garden house or a country house.
If the applicant chose compensation in the form of a housing certificate for the financing of a new home, in this case, the executor of this compensation program will be JSC “Ukrposhta”.
At the same time, the recipient of the housing certificate must independently:
After choosing the housing that the compensation recipient intends to purchase using the housing certificate, the compensation recipient submits an application to JSC “Ukrposhta” for financing the purchase of housing in the amount specified in the housing certificate, by choosing:
After the provision of compensation with the use of a housing certificate has been confirmed, the recipient has 30 calendar days, during which he must conclude a contract for the purchase of housing with the use of a housing certificate. At this time, funds in the amount of compensation specified in the corresponding housing certificate are reserved. If during this period the recipient of compensation has not taken any action, it is considered that the application for financing the purchase of housing has been withdrawn.
The contract for the purchase of housing with the use of a housing certificate is subject to notarisation.
After concluding the contract, JSC “Ukrposhta” transfers funds to the account of the seller of housing specified in the contract for the purchase of housing.
It is important that you can submit an application for compensation for destroyed real estate using the Diya mobile application already in a month – that is, starting from July 15. The Cabinet of Ministers recommends that the commissions start considering such applications as early as August 15, 2023.
We wrote more about the commissions that will consider applications for compensation for destroyed real estate objects in a previous publication. And about the Law of Ukraine “On compensation for damage and destruction of certain categories of immovable property objects as a result of hostilities, acts of terrorism, sabotage caused by armed aggression of the RF against Ukraine, and the State Register of property damaged and destroyed as a result of hostilities, acts of terrorism, and sabotage caused by the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine” is available here.
Everything you need to know about the deregulation reform of Ukraine’s economy is now available online in one place: https://deregulation.me.gov.ua/
Also, the resource should simplify communication between the state and business: the site has a convenient feedback form for entrepreneurs who want to express their impressions or wishes regarding fresh deregulation initiatives, as well as a questionnaire.
What is deregulation of the economy?
For 5 months, large-scale deregulation of the economy has been ongoing in Ukraine: the government is reducing its control over business activities, canceling or optimising outdated and ineffective licenses, permits, approvals. The volume of savings of financial and time resources of all entrepreneurs of Ukraine from the optimisation of 800 instruments of state regulation will amount to approximately UAH 222 million in the first year of the reform.
What is IWG on deregulation?
In January 2023, the Interdepartmental Working Group on Issues of Accelerated Review of State Regulation of Economic Activity (IWG on Deregulation) was created for this purpose. It is headed by First Vice Prime Minister – Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yuliia Svyrydenko and Vice Prime Minister for Innovation, Development of Education, Science and Technology – Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov.
The meetings are also attended by representatives of leading analytical centres, in particular BRDO.
What will you find on the deregulatory reform website?
The site explains the algorithm of the IWG’s work, shows already implemented cases of deregulation and publishes the latest news on the topic.
Also, the resource gives every entrepreneur the opportunity to join the deregulation reform by expressing their opinion or proposal in a Google form. For effective work, the IWG should not only independently look for flaws in the system of Ukrainian legislation, but also respond to specific business requests regarding these changes.
How to share your opinion on deregulation with the state?
If you represent an enterprise and want to provide the Ministry of Economy with feedback on state regulation tools that you encounter in your work, fill out the questionnaire (in Ukrainian).
The site will be expanded in the future. The resource is developed as part of the EU4business: SME Policies and Institutions Support (SMEPIS) project, implemented by Ecorys in a consortium with GIZ, BRDO and Civitta.
On June 13, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved resolution No. 596 “Some issues of compliance with the requirements of the Law of Ukraine “On guaranteeing property rights to real estate objects that will be built in the future.” The BRDO team participated in the development of the document.
Thanks to this resolution, the effect of the Law “On guaranteeing property rights to real estate objects that will be built in the future” will be extended, at the request of the construction customer, to those objects that began to be built even before this law came into force.
The Resolution approves the Procedure for the application of the Law, and the Procedure, in turn, states the following:
The Law “On Guaranteeing Property Rights to Real Estate Objects to be Built in the Future”, which was also developed with the participation of BRDO, creates effective legal mechanisms for the state to guarantee property rights to indivisible objects of unfinished construction and future real estate objects. Accordingly, individuals and legal entities who buy objects of unfinished construction (for example, cottages), residential and non-residential premises in objects under construction are better protected and receive guarantees of protection of their rights in case of, for example, incomplete construction. Read more about this law and the changes it introduces.
Thus, the primary real estate market will become more transparent, developers will be more responsible, and buyers will be more protected from the actions of fraudsters in the construction industry.
The Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies (CFCS) at RUSI and the Ukraine-based think tank Better Regulation Delivery Office (BRDO) are delighted to invite you to a half-day conference on Securing the Integrity and Resilience of Ukraine’s Financial System.
As discussions on the funding of Ukraine’s reconstruction continue, this event, to be held on the margins of the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC) that will be co-hosted in London by the UK government in June, will address an issue that is currently absent from the wider URC agenda and discussions related to reconstruction – namely, the importance of integrity and resilience in the Ukrainian financial system to combat potential corruption-related money laundering.
This is the latest activity of RUSI’s Project SMURF, funded by the National Endowment for Democracy, through which the CFCS engages with government, private sector and civil society partners in Ukraine on the importance of integrity and resilience in the Ukrainian financial system.
Agenda and registration available here: https://www.rusi.org/events/conferences/securing-integrity-and-resilience-ukraines-financial-system
Very soon, Ukrainian consumers will receive the protection of their rights as it is done in Europe. On June 10, 2023, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted in its entirety draft Law No. 6134 “On the Protection of Consumer Rights”, developed by the Ministry of Economy together with the BRDO team. Now we expect this Law to enter into force after it is signed by the President of Ukraine.
After the collapse of the USSR, Ukraine was one of the first to develop legislation on the protection of consumer rights, but today there are critical inconsistencies between the Ukrainian and European consumer rights protection systems. The new draft law is designed to eliminate these inconsistencies and bring Ukrainian legislation closer to European legislation.
What changes does the bill propose?
1. Issues of consumer rights protection in the field of electronic commerce are regulated:
At the legislative level, the concepts of an electronic trading platform (marketplace), an electronic product comparison service (price aggregator) are defined and their responsibility for the availability of reliable information about sellers on the websites of the marketplace and price aggregator is established. Thus, the consumer becomes more protected in the event of purchasing a product of inadequate quality on the Internet and will have guarantees for the return of his funds.
In addition, the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection receives the authority to apply to Internet providers to block the website of those business entities that have not provided reliable information on the website about their name and location, which will make it impossible to carry out state supervision (control) measures in accordance with the legislation of Ukraine.
2. The obligation for sellers to create and maintain an exchange fund of goods is abolished. Until then, if the consumer received a product of inadequate quality that needs repair, the seller is obliged to provide the consumer with the same product from the exchange fund during the repair of such product. For this, entrepreneurs spent a lot of money on the purchase of such goods and on the maintenance of warehouses for their storage. Instead, the new draft law gives the consumer the right to replace the product with the same or similar one available at the business entity, if the repair of the product purchased by the consumer requires more than 14 calendar days. Thus, sellers do not need to have an exchange fund, and in the event of its creation, they will have a competitive advantage.
3. Public associations of consumers receive a legislative basis for participation in the protection of consumer rights and their involvement in the pre-trial resolution of consumer disputes. The practice of the European Union in the field of consumer rights protection shows that consumers are better protected when public consumer associations are involved in the process of their protection, which can conduct consultations for consumers and provide them with practical assistance.
4. The possibility of providing documents confirming warranty obligations in electronic form by sellers is being introduced. That is, consumers will not need to keep a bunch of paper warranty cards, as they will become available in an online format.
Thus, the Law “On the Protection of Consumer Rights” provides for the creation of conditions for achieving mutual consistency between the consumer rights protection systems of Ukraine and the EU, ensuring transparent and fair competition between business entities, especially in the field of electronic commerce, and also provides consumers with new tools to protect their rights .
We are grateful to everyone involved in the development of the draft law and look forward to its quick implementation.
In recent years, BRDO together with other NGOs and entrepreneurs demanded the publication of financial statements of enterprises in the form of open data. As a result, in March 2023, the State Statistics Service of Ukraine finally published the information submitted by companies for 2022. Using this data, the BRDO IT&Telecom sector team prepared an overview of the situation in the Ukrainian IT market.
Before that, for similar studies, we relied on generalised information, surveys and expert assessments. The release of the financial statements allowed BRDO to analyse the industry in more detail.
So, what was the first year of the full-scale invasion for the biggest players in Ukrainian IT?
The top 10 IT companies are predominantly service companies. The net income of the five largest – Epam Systems, GlobalLogic Ukraine, Luxoft Solutions, Ciklum, and Intellias – made up almost 20% of Ukrainian IT exports.
Only two companies from the top 10 develop their own products:
The popular ranking system for assessing the size of IT companies in Ukraine is the DOU Top 50, which is determined through a survey that estimates the number of specialists employed by each company. The lists of the largest and most profitable companies do overlap, but they are not identical.
In particular:
With this material, we begin a series of publications devoted to the review of the largest Ukrainian IT companies in 2022 by net income. The full version of the document, which provides information on the top 30 companies, is available here.
When working on the review, the BRDO team used data from the State Statistics Service, aggregated by the analytical service YouControl.
Are you a passionate start-up or SME with sustainable solutions for the raw materials industry? Don’t miss out on the incredible opportunity to apply for the EIT Raw Materials Booster Call and unlock financial support of up to EUR 200,000.
The civilised world is undergoing a monumental transformation towards net-carbon-neutrality and technology-driven innovation, steered by the EU Green Deal. As a result, the demand for critical and strategic raw materials is skyrocketing.
Electric vehicles, solar panels, and wind turbines — all depend on a sustainable supply of vital raw materials like lithium, cobalt, magnesium, copper, and rare earth elements.
That’s why EIT RawMaterials is on a constant mission to seek out and support start-ups and SMEs that are revolutionising the raw materials sector. From cutting-edge deep-tech solutions for mineral exploration, mining, and processing to ground-breaking advancements in battery material substitution and recycling, EIT RawMaterials works to make a real impact.
As a selected start-up or SME, you’ll not only receive funding and personalised services, but you’ll also become a valued member of the vibrant EIT RawMaterials partner network.
Booster Call provides established companies with support to:
Join the ranks of game-changers and trailblazers in the raw materials industry: https://eitrawmaterials.eu/booster-call/
Booster Call 2023 is open throughout the year. The closest deadline is September 4, 2023.
For more information, please contact EIT RawMaterials Innovation Hub – for Ukrainian startups, it is Innovation Hub East. Details of EIT RawMaterials Booster Call, eligibility, procedure, award criteria and other – available here https://eitrawmaterials.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/EIT-RawMaterials-Booster-Call-2023-Guidelines-CO2.pdf.
To remind you, the experts of the project “New Subsoil Code of Ukraine” are working on improving the regulatory environment of the raw materials industry, which will allow to attract foreign investments to Ukraine and develop the industry.
The project is financed by the European Union and implemented by the Consortium consisting of experts from Projekt-Consult (Germany), MinPol (Austria) and the Better Regulation Delivery Office (Ukraine). This publication reflects the position of the Project and does not necessarily coincide with the position of the European Commission.
Services based on the construction passport are the most widespread among administrative services related to construction. Since construction services appeared on the Diya portal, almost 40% of all applications for them were related to the construction passport.
From now on, 3 modernised services are available on the Diia portal:
The construction passport is a document that defines the requirements for the placement and construction of individual (manor) residential buildings, garden and country houses of no higher than two floors with an area of up to 500 square meters, as well as farm buildings and structures, garages, elements of improvement and landscaping of the land plot .
A key innovation is the ability to make changes to an already submitted message and the ability to correct technical errors.
In addition, during the submission of the application, more data will be automatically pulled from the Unified State Electronic System in the field of construction. This will simplify the process of filling out documents and reduce the number of rejections from control authorities, because it was technical errors made during the manual entry of information by customers that were the main reason for rejections.
Construction services based on the construction passport appeared on the Diya portal back in October 2020. Since then, the process of obtaining services has undergone changes, but this is the first large-scale modernization.
Specialists of the BRDO participated in the development of the Law of Ukraine “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine on Improving the Procedure for Providing Administrative Services in the Field of Construction and Creating a Unified State Electronic System in the Field of Construction”, which introduced the possibility of obtaining services in the field of construction precisely in in electronic form, as well as the Procedure for maintaining the Unified State Electronic System in the field of construction.
The modernisation of the service was carried out in cooperation with the Ministry of Community Development, Territories and Infrastructure and the Ministry of Digital Transformation with the support of the USAID / UK aid project “Transparency and Accountability in Public Administration and Services / TAPAS”.
Deregulation does not take away momentum: the IWG on deregulation considered several initiatives that are highly demanded by businesses and citizens.
According to the results of the meeting, the following instruments of state regulation were recommended for optimisation or cancellation, in particular:
In general, the package of deregulation initiatives analysed today by the IWG contained 12 items in 6 directions: general regulatory rules, agriculture, construction, medicine, transport, and recovery. According to the results of the meeting, a number of tools will be removed altogether, the rest will be modernised.
In the field of general regulatory rules
It is recommended to change the punitive system of checks to a service one. In particular, introduce voluntary insurance and audit of companies’ activities, which, in turn, will reduce the number and frequency of inspections. In addition, the IWG recommended transferring documentary tax checks to the online format, and the Permit to perform high-risk works and to operate (use) machines, mechanisms, and high-risk equipment – to the declarative principle.
In the field of transport
It is recommended to cancel the registration of used vehicles purchased by businesses as goods for further sale. It is also recommended to provide for the possibility of submitting an electronic customs declaration using the Diia means when carrying out customs clearance of a passenger car, and to change the approach to determining the value of a car during customs clearance by creating an appropriate database that would take into account the age of cars.
In the field of medicine
It is recommended to cancel the need for business entities to obtain sanitary passports in several areas of economic activity, as outdated and duplicate.
In the field of construction
It is recommended to cancel the requirements for the development of the environmental impact assessment section, if during the construction, reconstruction or overhaul of buildings, structures and their complexes, an environmental impact assessment (EIA) is not required, or if an EIA report is available.
In the field of agriculture
It is recommended to deregulate the field of viticulture by canceling:
It is recommended to deregulate the fishing industry by abolishing:
A number of instruments regulating the market of technical hemp are also recommended for abolition or optimization.
In the field of recovery
It is recommended to digitise more than 10 tools in the field of cultural heritage protection (procedures for obtaining approvals, permits, conclusions, etc.). It is recommended to digitise and modernise the procedures for opening, in particular, private kindergartens and creative centers. Today, these procedures involve “paper” communication between the initiative business and state bodies, which significantly slows down the process of creating new educational institutions.
We will remind you that the Working Group on Deregulation was created in January 2023. The working group, headed by First Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yulia Svyridenko and Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov, included, in particular, representatives of the Ministries of Economy, Digital Transformation, Environmental Protection and Natural Resources , justice, finance, regulatory service. The meetings are also attended by representatives of leading analytical centers, in particular the Office of Effective Regulation of BRDO.
The IWG on deregulation was created in January 2023 and is headed by First Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yuliia Svyrydenko and Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov. The group includes, in particular, representatives of the Ministries of Economy, Digital Transformation, Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, Justice, Finance, and the State Regulatory Service. The meetings are also attended by representatives of leading analytical centres, in particular the BRDO.
In our previous publication, we talked about lithium as one of the important components of batteries, as well as the potential of its extraction in Ukraine.
And what is the potential of battery production in Ukraine?
A little bit of history
From the moment of gaining independence, the Ukrainian state understood the importance and necessity of building its own capacities for the development of the batteries industry.
In order to avoid dependence on the import of batteries and their shortage, the Government of Ukraine made a decision to build its own capacities for the production of these products. In 1992, the Cabinet of Ministers approved a decree according to which the Ministry of Economy was to allocate raw materials and equipment for the production of batteries to enterprises producing lead-acid batteries. Since in the early 1990s state support for the market was very important, an annual 100 per cent state order for the manufacture of batteries with the provision of its main types of raw materials was to be established in 1993.
In 1993-1995, manufacturers of lead-acid batteries received the right to independently sell up to 30% of batteries from the volume of state orders, including export.
In 1996, the Government reduced import duty rates on technological equipment, spare parts and materials supplied to the closed-type joint-stock company “Ista-center” for the implementation and development of the technology for the production of closed-cycle lead-acid batteries.
At the end of the 1990s, other factories began to appear in Ukraine that produced batteries, using modern equipment at that time and were able to compete with inexpensive imported analogues. Accordingly, with the development of a full-fledged battery market, there was a need to introduce state support tools.
Ukraine’s battery production today
Today, Ukrainian enterprises produce a wide range of batteries for cars, agricultural and special equipment. They largely satisfy the domestic demand for car batteries. In addition, Ukrainian batteries are exported to a number of countries, in particular to the EU.
The technology used to produce lead-acid batteries in Ukraine is actually outdated. But thanks to the efforts of research institutions and separate divisions of manufacturing enterprises, this technology is being improved, which allows Ukrainian products to remain competitive on world markets.
Ukraine has six main battery-producing enterprises in different parts of our country. In addition, there are a number of scientific institutes and state-owned enterprises conducting research in the field of batteries.
The ecosystem of startups in this area is also developing. Nevertheless, for the further development of both scientific research in the field of batteries and startups, foreign investments are critically needed in Ukraine.
Strategic partnership
Considering that the EU imports 90% of critical raw materials from non-European countries, it is strategically important to develop its own battery production capacities, as well as to provide this production with a raw material base. And Ukraine has something to offer for fruitful cooperation with the EU in this area.
Experts of the EU Project “New Code of Ukraine on the Subsoil” are preparing an analytical review of advanced battery technologies in Ukraine, which will also explore the connections and potential value chains between the needs of battery manufacturers in the EU and the corresponding raw materials in Ukraine. To ensure you don’t miss a research publication to find out which companies and startups are working on the development of battery production in Ukraine, follow the information resources of the BRDO or subscribe to the monthly digest.
The project is financed by the European Union and implemented by the Consortium consisting of experts from Projekt-Consult (Germany), MinPol (Austria) and the Better Regulation Delivery Office (Ukraine). This publication reflects the position of the Project and does not necessarily coincide with the position of the European Commission.
Last week, the CMU approved the resolution “Some issues of organising the work of the commission for consideration of issues of compensation for real estate destroyed as a result of hostilities, acts of terrorism, sabotage caused by the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.” In accordance with it, the Model Regulation on the Commission for consideration of issues of compensation for real estate destroyed as a result of hostilities, terrorist acts, and sabotage caused by the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine is approved. This Regulation defines the legal basis for the creation and functioning of commissions that will consider the issue of providing such compensations. BRDO experts also participated in the development of the resolution.
The commissions will be formed under the executive bodies of village, settlement, city, district councils in cities, military administrations of settlements or military-civilian administrations of settlements as a consultative body. They will have access to the State Register of property damaged and destroyed as a result of hostilities, acts of terrorism, and sabotage caused by the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, which will allow them to perform the functions defined by the resolution.
The commissions will consider applications for providing compensation for a destroyed object of real estate, will determine the presence or absence of grounds for providing such compensation, will ensure the inspection of the destroyed object (except in cases where it is carried out before the consideration of the application), in particular with the aim of establishing the fact of the repair works performed due to other sources of financing.
In addition, the commissions will provide consultations and all comprehensive information on how to receive compensation for the destroyed object of immovable property. Also, in the event of a decision to provide compensation for destroyed real estate objects, the commission will produce a residential certificate using the State Register of Damaged and Destroyed Property and send it to the certificate applicant in electronic and/or paper form.
Information on the location of the commissions, their personnel, work order, as well as information on the results of the commission meetings should be posted on the website of the bodies under which the commissions are created.
The resolution also determines the procedure for formation of commissions, as well as their powers. Representatives of state bodies, local self-government bodies, enterprises, institutions, organisations, experts, evaluators, subjects of evaluation activities, executors of certain types of work (services) related to the creation of architectural objects, representatives of international and public organisations.
The approved Resolution was developed in implementation of the Law of Ukraine “On compensation for damage and destruction of certain categories of immovable property as a result of hostilities, acts of terrorism, sabotage caused by the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, and the State Register of property damaged and destroyed as a result of hostilities , terrorist acts, sabotage caused by the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.” BRDO experts also participated in the development of this law, details on which are available in our previous publication.
Ukraine fights the Russian Federation, in particular, in cyberspace.
To ensure this, in March 2022, the Parliament of Ukraine made changes to the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which decriminalised interference in the work of information systems with the aim of finding vulnerabilities in them. In other words, the Parliament allowed the work of white-hat hackers, or ethical hackers, to find vulnerabilities, in particular, in government systems.
At the same time, according to BRDO’s analysis, the decriminalisation mechanism that was chosen was not the best from the point of view of normative design. Nevertheless, the representatives of relevant authorities decided to continue the implementation of this mechanism. For this, it was necessary to adopt the procedure approved yesterday.
The document defines the procedure for organizing, searching, and identifying potential vulnerabilities of information systems based on a public offer. We are talking about any systems for which the owner will decide on the need to place a public offer on the search for vulnerabilities: from the information systems of state registers to, for example, the information system of the city water utility.
Implementation of the document:
BRDO experts within the EU4DigitalUA project funded by the EU participated in the development of the resolution.
What is Bug Bounty?
Bug Bounty is an agreement offered by websites, organisations, and software developers where anyone can get a reward if they find bugs in the company’s ICS. Especially important are those errors related to security and vulnerabilities.
These programs allow developers to identify and fix bugs before they become known to the general public, preventing widespread abuse and data leakage. They are implemented by brands such as Mozilla, Facebook, Google, Reddit, Microsoft, etc.
Outside the technology industry, bug bounty is also used, for example, by the US Department of Defense.
And before that, the first bug bounty program in Ukraine for resources in the gov.ua domain was launched by the BRDO back in 2018. Later, similar programs were implemented for Prozorro and Diia.