Chemical industry

Chemical and petrochemical industries of Ukraine are export-oriented. The export of chemical products is one of the main sources of actual funds for enterprises exporting chemical and petrochemical products.

At the same time, on the territory of Ukraine, there are numerous enterprises that produce chemically hazardous products containing strong toxic agents. Steady increase in chemical production has also led to the increase in industrial waste, which is dangerous for the environment and people.

Above-listed facts indicate that chemical industry, as one of the basic sector of Ukrainian economics, must be governed in details at the level of legislation.

Taking into consideration the fact that Ukrainian chemical industry has a rather complex and diversified structure, legal relationships in this sphere are governed by a set of legislative acts, the principal of those are the following:

• The Law of Ukraine “On Pesticides and Agrochemicals” dated 02 March 1995;
• The Law of Ukraine “On Licensing of Certain Types of Economic Activity” dated 1 June 2000;
• The Law of Ukraine “On Environmental Protection” dated 25 June 1991;
• The Law of Ukraine “On Ensuring Sanitary and Epidemic Safety of the Population” dated 24 February 1994.

Under the “State Industry Development Programme for 2003-2011” approved by the Regulation of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine Number 1174 dated 28 June 2003, the following development trends are of priority for chemical and petrochemical industries:

• technical re-equipment of chemical production on the basis of alternative ecological technologies, and production of basic chemicals and mineral fertilizers, plastic materials and plastic products in the first place;
• provision of all conditions necessary for the production diversification and its structural optimization, including expansion in production volumes for household chemicals, materials for light industry, production of fast moving consumer goods, electrical industry;
• extension of depth and complexity of raw material processing;
• development of low-tonnage flexible production including fine chemistry;
• launching production of new constructional and functional materials to satisfy the needs of high-technology production (catalysts, electric insulating materials, composite materials).

The Department of Chemical Industry Development, together with industry institutes and chemical enterprises, has also developed the State Chemical Industry Development Programme for 2005-2011, which envisages the establishment of modern chemical complex able to be developed from the innovative, competitive and environmentally-friendly approach under the process of integration and globalisation of Ukrainian economics.

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, as a government body responsible for the development of state policy in chemical industry, considers the increase in consuming volumes for chemical products of domestic manufacture on the Ukrainian market as one of the priority trends in the development of chemical industry. Domestic market development is viewed as the prerequisite for stable functioning of chemical complex; the market will less depend on changing world market opportunities, at the same time the number of working places, existing salary levels and other social safeguards for the workers of the industry will be stable.