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The Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers released a draft resolution on February 16, 2024, with the goal of raising the bar for chemical product safety regulations. “On the Approval of the Technical Regulations for the Classification of Hazards, Labelling, and Packaging of Chemical Products,” is the name of the proposed law that intends to harmonize Ukraine’s chemical safety regulations with UN and EU norms.
This draft resolution, which was created in accordance with the Law of Ukraine on Ensuring Chemical Safety and Management of Chemical Products and other pertinent national laws, is a significant step toward harmonizing Ukrainian chemical safety laws with international standards, particularly the UN Globally Harmonized System (GHS) on the Classification and Labelling of Chemicals and EU Regulation No. 1272/2008 on Classification, Labelling and Packaging of Substances and Mixtures (the CLP Regulation).
On February 27, 2024, the World Trade Organization (WTO) was notified of the proposed resolution.
Key Highlights of the Draft Resolution:
In order to ensure conformity with both EU law and UN standards, the resolution requires the Technical Regulation for the Classification, Labelling, and Packaging of Chemical Products to be adopted.
The responsibility for supervising the execution of these technical requirements will fall to the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources.
– To enable a seamless transition for businesses, a transition period is suggested to let chemical items that do not fully comply with the new requirements to stay on the market for a certain amount of time.
– To align with this goal, it will be necessary to make changes to current laws and executive orders, emphasizing the all-encompassing approach to chemical safety.
– The resolution is slated to go into effect on June 29, 2024; however, in order to handle implementation logistics, certain of its provisions will take effect on January 1, 2025.
Objective and Scope
This Regulation’s main goal is to safeguard the environment and public health by imposing stringent requirements on the packaging, labelling, and danger categorization of chemical goods. Ukraine hopes to promote safe handling of chemicals and mixtures, protecting both the natural integrity of its lands and the health of its population, by establishing explicit guidelines for the identification and notification of chemical dangers
The draft resolution includes a broad variety of chemical products, leaving out only those specifically mentioned, which include, among other things, radioactive materials, non-isolated intermediates, and some chemicals used only in scientific study.
Public and Stakeholder Engagement
To demonstrate the government’s commitment to openness and cooperative policymaking, the Cabinet of Ministers is requesting comments from the general public as well as from stakeholders on the draft resolution. It is anticipated that this collaborative approach would improve the rules and guarantee their efficacy in safeguarding both the environment and public health. Comments must be submitted by March 16, 2024.
Conclusion
Ukraine has demonstrated its commitment to safeguarding the environment and public health by taking proactive steps to upgrade its chemical safety regulations. Ukraine is enhancing its internal safety procedures and enabling more seamless cross-border trading and handling of chemical products by conforming to international laws.