The Emerald Network

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Draft law “On the Emerald Network” (No. 4461), initiated by Members of Parliament Yuliia Ovchynnykova, Oleh Bondarenko, Olena Kuryurchukina, and others, was submitted at the end of 2021 as part of Ukraine’s obligations on its path toward European integration.

Ukraine ratified the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats in 1996; however, as of 2026, the Verkhovna Rada has still not adopted legislation to ensure the protection of the Emerald Network—an ecological network of sites of European importance on Ukrainian territory.

Ukraine already has nearly 380 Emerald sites covering around 8% of the country’s territory. These include the Carpathian Mountains, the Bilychianskyi Forest, and the Osokorky area in Kyiv. Due to delays in adopting the law, these environmentally valuable territories remain without sufficient legal protection.

The adoption of the Emerald Network law is intended to implement EU directives on the conservation of wild birds and the protection of natural habitats and wildlife.

The initiative was supported by 200 scientists and 77 scientific institutions. However, during the first reading vote, the draft law failed to secure enough votes: only 199 Members of Parliament supported it.

No votes were cast in favor by members of the “For the Future” group, some of whom are associated with the so-called Kolomoisky group, often accused of lobbying legislation in favor of developers, as well as by the “Batkivshchyna” faction. Members of the OPZZh faction were absent during the vote.

A number of civil society organizations, including the Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group, Environment People Law, Holka, and Ecoaction, continue to advocate for the adoption of this legislative initiative.

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