President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has signed the Law on Inland Water Transport passed by the Parliament on 03 December 2020.
The instrument determines legal, economic, and organisational framework for the inland water transport activities.
In spite of the appeals by business and State Regulatory Agency to veto the law, it was nevertheless signed by President. The appeals had insisted that it would threaten steady pace of Ukraine’s economic growth and national security, in particular navigation under the national flag of Ukraine, shipbuilding industry of the country, bunkering in its inland waterways, lead to losses for the state budget, as well as jeopardize the environmental safety.
Let’s remind that the Law regulates relationship in the sphere of shipping in Ukraine’s inland waterways. In particular, it provides conditions for the inland water transport operation, use of inland waterways and their coastal strips for navigation. Also, there are issues of the sunken property, matters of shipowners’ responsibility for breeches of the inland water transport laws, and the like normalized by the Law.
the Law as well implements the basic requirements of the EC directives and regulations under the Ukraine–EU Association Agreement.