Pragma Consulting Group – an Information Partner of the NGO "PRAGMA" Project, implemented with the support of the European Union in Ukraine and the International Renaissance Foundation within the framework of the “Whole-of-Society Accession” project.

7 July 2025

Pragma Consulting Group serves as the information partner of the Project “Waste Management and Circular Economy: Expert Support and Promotion of Inclusive Stakeholder Dialogue in the Framework of Negotiations on Ukraine’s Accession to the European Union” (Project No. G55763), implemented by the NGO "PRAGMA" from April 1 to November 30, 2025. The project is supported by the European Union in Ukraine and the International Renaissance Foundation within the framework of the “Whole-of-Society Accession” project.

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What is the Project About?
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The Project focuses on providing expert support to the Government of Ukraine in aligning national legislation with the EU acquis in the areas of waste management and circular economy.

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This includes:

assessing the current state of the regulatory framework;
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providing expert support to governmental stakeholders in preparing responses to the EU accession questionnaire in the relevant chapter;
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supporting the development of a reform plan in the field of waste management and circular economy;
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ongoing expert and monitoring assistance to the Government.

A key focus of the Project is to discuss and propose realistic transitional periods for businesses in the waste management sector, based on inclusive stakeholder dialogue to ensure effective implementation and enforcement of the developed legal provisions.

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What is the Project About?
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The Project focuses on providing expert support to the Government of Ukraine in aligning national legislation with the EU acquis in the areas of waste management and circular economy.

‍

This includes:

assessing the current state of the regulatory framework;
‍
providing expert support to governmental stakeholders in preparing responses to the EU accession questionnaire in the relevant chapter;
‍
supporting the development of a reform plan in the field of waste management and circular economy;
‍
ongoing expert and monitoring assistance to the Government.

What Has Already Been Done Under the Project?
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Experts from the NGO "PRAGMA" participated in the preparation of comments and proposals for the European Commission's questionnaire. In particular, they proposed that during the bilateral EU-Ukraine screening negotiations on Chapter 27, the issue of the need for additional transitional periods (derogations) during the adaptation of Ukrainian legislation to the EU acquis be raised.

Two rounds of surveys among businesses were conducted to assess the economic impact of implementing specific EU waste legislation provisions and circular economy policies.

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Analytical materials were developed for governmental stakeholders regarding the overall situation and specific issues related to the implementation of the EU acquis in this field.

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What Do PRAGMA Experts Recommend to State Stakeholders?
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Support the parliamentary review of draft laws on packaging and packaging waste;
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Provide conceptual and legal-technical improvements to the draft law on mining waste management, facilitate its discussion and resubmission to Parliament;
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Develop and submit new legislative proposals for other waste streams in line with government-approved plans;
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Conduct a prompt audit (inventory) of the existing infrastructure for waste collection, treatment, and recycling; carry out financial, technical, and organizational assessments to expand or create infrastructure for each waste stream;
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Support the submission of requests for transitional periods related to the implementation of EU waste directives during the negotiation process, with proper justification;
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If needed, include the need for expanded and new infrastructure for waste treatment and recycling in the list of priorities for additional funding through donor support or introduce state incentives to attract investments in such projects.
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Stay Updated

Follow the Facebook page of NGO “PRAGMA” and our other social media channels to stay informed.

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As of June 2025, bilateral meetings under Chapter 27 “Environment and Climate Change” took place in Brussels as part of the official EU screening process. Waste management was one of the most complex and heavily discussed topics with the European Commission.

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The European Commission's 2024 Report on Ukraine emphasizes that Ukraine must continue its efforts to implement EU waste legislation, highlighting the importance of fully aligning the national waste management system with the EU acquis.