Practically all governments of Ukraine have considered the Ministry of Environmental Protection to be the most convenient holding of various firms that laundered money and stole funds from the state budget. However, the “achievements” of the just gone government have overcome all cases that make up the criminal-and-ecological history of our country. During the last several weeks of the bygone government's work, they allocated a tremendous number of land plots with natural resources. The most impressive case is when they gave away a “piece” of the Black Sea shelf with a total area of 10 thousand square kilometers. It is an unprecedented case. People say the poor company is not able to maintain that “piece” of the size of a small country.

ZN journalist asked Georgiy Phylypchuk, the new Minister of Environmental Protection, to answer several questions.

— Georgiy Georgyiovych, my first question is about the land plots with natural resources allocated at the end of 2007 before the previous government’s resignation. Will it be possible to return them back to the state?

— During the last several months, the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Ukraine has been conducting a thorough technological, financial, and economic audit...

— With what purpose?

— To protect the interests of society and the state.

— Could you tell about that in more detail?

— If a user of natural resources ignores the terms of license, doesn't comply with environmental protection regulations and doesn’t fulfill definite social programs, then we intend to cancel his or her licenses and special permissions.

— What concrete steps have been taken in this direction?

— The two first orders based on acts of General Prosecutor’s Office and our general analysis have already been signed (#27 and #24). As a result, 65 special permissions on using natural resources, from gold and coal to granite, have been canceled.

We are now making up a list of strategically important fields of natural resources of Ukraine. We inventory all fields in order to find the ones that are inefficiently used. According to the law and in connection with the fact that some concrete users of natural resources violate the terms of agreements and licenses, the state will take over control of such fields.

Today, we are analyzing information about titanium. This is a strategically important metal that has a huge export potential…

— Unfortunately, any increase in titanium sales, as it happens today with manganese, leads to quicker depletion of ore resources. I recently saw a manganese steel product, one kilo of which cost more than one ton of manganese ore. Did you tried to connect license issuing with obliging that the product be produced on the spot?

— Using the manganese experience in titanium production will lead us to a dead-end. If we could use complete production cycle in manganese ore production we would receive more profit and resolve many economical and social matters. However, it is our common trouble: the same thing is happening with timber, grain, ores and so on. We are still being led by the ideology of ores and timber rafting. Ukraine shouldn’t extend its position as a raw materials-producing appendage because we will never get out of trouble.

That’s why we are now working on connecting license issuing with development of the necessary production capacities. We should start approaching natural resources matters more humanely.

— There are a lot of disputes about the American company Vanco. What will the future of those huge areas in the Black Sea received by that company be like? This company is not the most powerful and famous company in the world market…

— Ukraine has an opportunity to develop its energy potential not only through alternative kinds of energy but also by developing hydrocarbon fields in the continental part of the country as well as in the sea-shelf. However, the problem is that Ukraine doesn’t have enough financial and technological capacity to maintain the projects that would enable us to produce oil and gas in the Black Sea.

We are able to produce oil and gas in the shallow waters of the Black Sea at a depth of 40-60 meters. Nevertheless, we are not able to conduct such work in the deep waters. That’s why we have to seek help from famous firms such as Shell and Chevron… However, last year’s tender gave this opportunity to Vanco.

Giving Vanco 13 thousand square kilometers in the Black Sea shelf is a unique deal. International experience shows that such a huge territory should be divided and restructured into from 800 to 1500 square kilometer plots. And in my opinion, such restructuring is the most optimal way. Giving 13 thousand square kilometers to one company creates an unpleasant situation when the development of the Ukrainian sea-shelf is blocked since one company is not able to maintain work on the whole territory. There is one more unpleasant point about this deal – they can hold negotiations and sell this project without our participation in it.

Our state should more carefully protect its property. We need to implement more consistent fiscal and punitive policies in this sphere and be stricter with partners that violate the terms of the contracts.

— I think that this article won’t be enough to list all members of the previous governments, villas’ fences of which stand in the Dnieper waters, and who violate a lot of laws on ecologic matters. Will you be able to convince them to leave 100 meters of the river-bank, as required by law?

— I don’t want to be a revolutionary, but we first of all won’t allow further construction near the water. Second, we will inventory all the buildings near the Dnieper waters. This will be a serious state inter-departmental inspection. And then we will require either compensation for environmental damages or demolition of the constructions near the water.

— You should undertake to complete this project together with Kyiv power. And Kyiv power is not conductive in these matters, is it?

— We developed the programs on different ecological matters but Kyiv authorities don’t want to implement them. The programs concern waste removal, forests, the ecological network of Ukraine and drinking water filtration.

— Kyiv is on the list of the thirty most polluted cities in the world…

— First of all, this is our Ministry’s fault. However, by taking the blame upon our Ministry, I emphasize that solving this problem requires cooperation between central bodies of power, local self-governments and the business sector, which still doesn’t feel “green.” People should understand that everything we do affects the environment…