On July 15, the first meeting of the Interagency Working Group under the Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture of Ukraine took place, established to prepare legislative solutions for the implementation of EU Directive 2024/1760.

The Directive provides for the introduction of a risk-based due diligence system for companies regarding human rights and the environment. This is not a one-time check, but a continuous management process: identifying and assessing actual and potential negative impacts, preventing and minimizing them, ceasing any harm caused, engaging with stakeholders, establishing complaint-handling mechanisms, and monitoring the effectiveness of measures taken.

The meeting was opened by Yegor Perelygin, Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture of Ukraine and Chair of the Working Group.

Olena Riabtseva, Director of the Investment Attraction and International Organization Interaction Department at the Ministry of Economy and Deputy Chair of the Working Group, spoke about the formation of the legislative framework for the Directive’s implementation.

The main presentation was delivered by Olena Uvarova, Business and Human Rights Specialist at the UN Development Programme in Ukraine. Participants examined the content and scope of the Directive, its requirements for companies, the extension of obligations to supply chains and business partners, as well as the experience of other countries in implementing due diligence legislation.

Special attention during the discussion was paid to organizing future work. Participants proposed:

• clarifying and unifying the terminology of future legislation;
• forming a consistent work plan and schedule of thematic meetings;
• identifying key areas that require separate expert elaboration;
• creating specialized subgroups by sector and type of activity;
• organizing additional training for working group members to ensure professional and practice-oriented processing of the Directive’s provisions.

The Fuel and Energy Business Association has joined the group’s work, as the new requirements will affect the entire value chain—from production, supply, and logistics to storage and final product realization—and therefore require the consideration of the business’s practical position during the legislative drafting stage.

Our task is to facilitate the implementation of European requirements in Ukraine in a clear, consistent manner that considers the real capabilities of businesses. It is important not just to transpose the Directive’s provisions into national legislation, but to create an effective model that ensures the protection of human rights and the environment without placing excessive and disproportionate burdens on Ukrainian enterprises.

The Interagency Working Group was established by Order of the Ministry of Economy dated June 16, 2026, No. 6785. It is tasked with preparing proposals for legislative changes, analyzing international experience, and defining mechanisms for implementing responsible business conduct standards in Ukraine.

The agenda for the first meeting included a presentation on the content of the Directive, comparative models from other countries, and a discussion of the working group’s activity plan for 2026.