A conference in support of Ukraine was held in Prague, organized by the IMPEL Network.

During the event, they characterized the current state and working conditions of the state oversight and control authority in a wartime context, and informed the foreign participants of the conference about the consequences of military aggression against the environment, particularly discussing the losses and scale of ecological crimes committed by Russia.

Conference participants representing EU countries that are members of the IMPEL Network shared their experiences regarding the adaptation of legislation and subordinate acts to the requirements of European environmental law and the principles of implementing this policy. Additionally, members of the IMPEL Network proposed options for enhancing the capacity of the State Environmental Inspection to accelerate Euro-integration processes.

The State Environmental Inspection is a member of the IMPEL Network and is essentially the only regulatory authority for environmental protection in Ukraine, already having experience operating under conditions of military aggression. Conference participants expressed their solidarity and support for the Ukrainian people and showed interest in practical cases of the work of state inspectors under martial law.

During the conference, an analysis was conducted of the conclusions and recommendations from IMPEL Network experts based on the results of the IRI for Ukraine (IMPEL Review Initiatives), which was held earlier in August 2024 to analyze proposed strategies for reforming the State Environmental Inspection of Ukraine. Following the conference, participants decided to establish a Coordination Support Group for Ukraine (CSGU) within the structure of the IMPEL Network to support the State Environmental Inspection of Ukraine.

Participants also agreed that, as part of the support for the State Environmental Inspection, the IMPEL Network and environmental organizations that are members of IMPEL will start implementing a series of training visits for employees of the State Environmental Inspection on the most relevant areas of work to gain practical experience from environmental and regulatory authorities in EU member states.