OREANDA-NEWS. July 05, 2011. Volodymyr Lytvyn, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, opened the discussion. He declared that it is a timely event. "PABSEC member states made a common cause to strengthen a green economy and its environmental component," V.Lytvyn stressed.
 
Heads and members of the national delegations of PABSEC member states delivered their reports.
 
Mykola Yankovskyi, Head of the Ukrainian delegation in PABSEC, stated, "First and foremost, a green economy presupposes changing the economic philosophy, moving from the exploitation of natural resources to their sustainable use. A number of countries started the transition to the model of an environmentally friendly development. Our country should follow the suit."
 
M. Yankovskyi stressed that transition to a green economy is vital for Ukraine in terms of making the industry environmentally friendly and implementing the international conventions and agreements. "Development of cleaner production remains topical. The concept of introduction and development of cleaner production by 2010 is being drafted. This issue is tackled by the inter-departmental working group including the experts of the United States Agency for International Development. The concept will shape the policy of economic eco-balancing and introduce a cleaner economy into the industrial, agrarian, transport and construction sectors. Legal acts on a green economy are being drafted," the reporter informed. 
 
M. Yankovskyi named nearly ten laws and other normative acts aimed at the introduction and development of a green economy in Ukraine.
 
He believes that laws should meet the actual social needs and objective laws of production development. "In this context, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine supports the initiatives of the President of Ukraine and the Government. Such cooperation resulted in adoption of the Law "On the Strategy of the National Environmental Policy of Ukraine by 2020" in December 2010. The primary goal of the strategy of the national environmental policy is to arrange favourable tax and credit-investment conditions, and attract financial sources of international donors and private capital into the environmental activity," the Head of the Ukrainian Delegation in PABSEC stated.
 
M. Yankovskyi admitted that numerous issues impede the development of a green economy. He stated that Ukraine has one of the most energy intensive and resource-consuming economies, rooted in the past, whose technological infrastructure pollutes the environment and shapes the negative image of our state. "Therefore, the transition from the industrial to a green economy faces numerous legislative, financial, technical and technological obstacles. Ukraine has chosen its way and realizes the deadlock of the current economic model which affects the future generations," the reporter stressed.
 
M. Yankovskyi emphasized that Ukraine has an enormous potential for developing a green economy, solar and wind power engineering, establishing minihydro power plants, and producing biofuel. "Positive changes hold out hope that the legislator, the government and the president will support this initiative, so that Ukraine would change to sustainable development, successfully implementing the ‘green economy model. Then we will live in the country, which set the goal to become one of the leaders by the life quality and the Human Development Index in a decade," the Head of the Ukrainian delegation concluded.
 
Other reporters informed the participants of the discussion about development of a green economy in their countries. The emphasis was placed on legislative support of the transition of national economies of PABSEC member-states from the industrial to a green economy. Along these lines, the speakers called for developing long-term strategies, introducing energy-saving technologies, and using the renewable energy sources to protect the environment and preserve it for the future generations.
 
The reporters stressed that development of a green economy is an essential means of supporting a healthy environment, while introduction of environmentally-safe practices will reorient the economy towards cleaner production. 
 
Observers from the national parliaments and international parliamentary organizations also delivered their reports.