Ukraine to Launch Unified Online System for Chemical Safety

On 21 June 2024, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources (MEPNR) of Ukraine announced that the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved the procedure for the creation and operation of the Information System for Chemical Safety. This is an important step towards modernising regulatory oversight in Ukraine. The platform will be launched as part of the national online platform EcoSystem, which provides up-to date information on the state of the environment.

Services for Companies and Improved Public Access

The new information system will provide a range of administrative services for companies and open registers for public access. Companies will be able to:

• Submit documents for registration of chemical substances.

• Obtain permits for the use of poisonous and particularly hazardous chemicals that are withdrawn from the market.

• Notify authorities of the use of alternative names for chemical substances.

• Report on the hazard classification of chemical products.

In addition, the system will provide comprehensive information on:

• Chemical products, their market volumes and hazardous properties.

• Potential risks associated with the use of chemicals and related safety measures.

• Manufacturers, importers, and suppliers of chemical products.

• Chemical incidents and identified threats to chemical safety.

Meeting EU Integration Obligations

The initiative stems from Ukraine's commitment to harmonise its chemical safety regulations with EU standards, required by the Law on Ensuring Chemical Safety and Management of Chemical Products, which will come into force on 29 June 2024. This legislation sets the framework for the adoption key EU technical regulations, including CLP (Classification, Labelling, and Packaging) and REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals).

CLP and REACH in Ukraine

On 10 May 2024, the Ukrainian government adopted the Technical Regulation for the Classification of Hazards, Labeling and Packaging of Chemical Products. The Technical Regulation will enter into force on 15 November 2024, except for some parts which will enter into force on 1 January 2025

Regarding the implementation of Ukraine-REACH, the MEPNR has already developed the draft Technical Regulation on the Safety of Chemical Products, which will be submitted to the Government for consideration in the near future.

The MEPNR recently announced the completion of the public consultation process on the draft resolution for Ukraine-REACH. A significant outcome of the public consultation is the MEPNR’s decision to revise the deadlines for registration under Ukraine-REACH, allowing industry additional time to prepare. The revised deadlines, based on the tonnage band are as follows:

• 1 October 2026 for tonnages over 1000 TPA

• 1 June 2028 for the 100-1000 TPA tonnage band.

• 1 March 2030 for the 1-100 TPA tonnage band.

Chemical products on the market before the entry into force of the Regulation that do not comply with all or some of the requirements of the Technical Regulation may continue to be sold for up to one year after entry into force of the Regulation.