On June 18, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted in the second reading Draft Law No. 13134, which postpones the imposition of penalties for non-compliance with the requirement mandating a minimum of 5% bioethanol content in automotive gasoline. The new enforcement date is January 1, 2026.
It is important to note that the requirement itself remains in force as of May 1, 2025, for gasoline with an octane rating of up to 98 (excluding fuel for the Armed Forces, the State Reserve, and minimum strategic stocks). Law No. 3769-IX, adopted in June 2024 (link), provides for the gradual adaptation of the fuel market to new environmental standards. At the same time, Parliament has decided to grant an additional transitional period by postponing the imposition of penalties for non-compliance until the beginning of 2026.
According to the law, selling gasoline that does not meet the bioethanol content requirement will incur the following fines:
- For retail stations: 7 subsistence minimums per batch of 1,000 liters;
- For producers and wholesale suppliers: 6 subsistence minimums;
- Additional liability has also been introduced for inadequate disclosure of fuel sales volumes.
According to the Fuel and Energy Business Association, the decision represents a pragmatic step that mitigates business risks without halting ecological transformation. The postponement of sanctions allows retail market operators to finalize logistics schemes, upgrade equipment to handle bioethanol, and avoid unintended violations due to insufficient regulatory clarity.
Today, the market requires not only regulatory norms, but also effective quality control mechanisms, transparent bio-component accounting infrastructure, and an adaptive technical framework. The Association is actively working on these issues, particularly considering the perspectives of small and medium-sized businesses.
We firmly believe that trust in reform is built not only through the introduction of new requirements but also through the provision of time and conditions for their responsible implementation.
