Ukraine is removing the "secret" classification from geological information about subsoil – Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources
Photo: Svitlana Hrynchuk / Ministry of Energy

Ukraine has decided to remove the "secret" classification from geological information about mineral resources. This was announced by the Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, Svitlana Hrynchuk, during the forum "State and Business: From Dialogue to Partnership".

"No civilized country has such an approach anymore. Ukraine has also taken this path. The classification has been revoked," Grinchuk noted.

According to the minister, all bureaucratic procedures are currently being completed so that investors can freely work with information about Ukrainian subsoil.

Hrynchuk also noted that much of the geological data has been accumulated since the 1960s and 1970s and still exists only in paper form, which significantly limits the attractiveness of the Ukrainian natural resource sector to investors.

Currently, the Ministry of Environmental Protection has already digitized 6,000 books with geological information, and an agreement has recently been signed for the second phase, which plans to digitize another 60,000.

The project is being implemented with the support of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and its expansion is also planned in cooperation with the American DFC.

In addition, together with the Ministry of Economy, the government has developed a list of strategic and critical minerals, focusing on the needs of the EU and the USA.

Mechanisms have also been developed for transferring the rights to develop them through auctions or production-sharing agreements. The government is expected to approve these documents in the coming weeks.

Ukraine also actively cooperates with geological services of other countries, including Great Britain, the USA and Canada. For example, in cooperation with France, a 3D model of the Zavalyivske deposit has already been created.

In February, the European Business Association appealed to the Cabinet of Ministers with a request to declassify information about mineral deposits in Ukraine.

According to the EBA, "such legislative restrictions hinder the conclusion of international agreements in the field of mineral resource use and complicate cooperation with strategic partners."