News and Statements
On the Path Toward the European Model: Outcomes of the Visit of the Head of the
UKRPEC Executive Committee to Vienna
Volodymyr Slabyi, Head of the UKRPEC Executive Committee, paid a working visit to
Vienna, Austria, at the invitation of the EU4Green Recovery East project “Recovery through
Circular Economy and Pollution Reduction in the Eastern Partnership Countries,”
implemented by the Environment Agency Austria (UBA).
The main objective of the visit was to exchange practical experience and to facilitate the
adaptation of Ukrainian legislation in the field of packaging waste management to EU
standards, in particular with regard to the implementation of an Extended Producer
Responsibility (EPR) system. The Ukrainian delegation also included experts from the
Swedish WM4U Programme (one of whose components focuses on the introduction of EPR
in Ukraine), as well as representatives of the Ministry of Economy, Environment, and
Agriculture and the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine.
As part of the visit programme, working sessions and discussions were held with Austrian
and Swedish experts. The parties discussed the requirements of EU Regulation 2025/40
(PPWR), the specifics of EPR system operation in Austria and Sweden, the role of
municipalities, and monitoring and reporting mechanisms. Particular attention was paid to
analysing and identifying ways to further refine the draft Law of Ukraine “On Packaging and
Packaging Waste.”
To gain practical insights, the delegation visited Austrian waste management system
operators PreZero International (Zollenaud) and PET to PET (Müllendorf), where participants
familiarized themselves with modern technologies for the sorting and recycling of packaging
waste.
An important part of the visit also included meetings with representatives of the Austrian
Environment Agency, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Climate Action and
Environment, Regions and Water Management of Austria, as well as the Swedish
Environmental Protection Agency.
“I consider this visit to have been extremely constructive. We took part in a series of
intensive professional discussions on a number of key issues, including proposals for
the new version of the draft law ‘On Packaging and Packaging Waste’ and the mainprovisions of the experimental project aimed at simplifying the conditions for
introducing an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system, recently initiated by
the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine.The participants of the visit examined the Austrian and Swedish models of packaging
waste management, which enabled us to compare approaches and understand
which mechanisms can be adapted to Ukrainian realities and which require more
time and additional preparation.Such discussions encourage Ukrainian institutions to move more rapidly toward the
European model. The experience of Austria, Sweden, and other partner countries
confirms the decisive role of effective cooperation between the state, business, and
communities,” — emphasized Volodymyr Slabyi, Head of the UKRPEC Executive
Committee.