At today's session, the Government approved the draft decision of the Government of the Republic of Armenia "On establishing the procedure for using and calculating the use of the Environmental Protection Fund's Allocations and Invalidating the Government's Decision No. 1079-N of August 23, 2012" developed by the Ministry of Environment.
"The Code of the Republic of Armenia on Subsoil" provides for the creation of an environmental protection fund at the expense of allocations in the amount established by the users of the subsoil, and payments of the environmental protection fund for replenishment of the environmental protection fund for the restoration of lands violated in the process of subsoil use.
On July 16, 2020, the law "On Amendments and Additions to the Subsoil Code of the Republic of Armenia" was adopted, which authorized the Ministry of Environment to develop the procedure for using and calculating the size of environmental protection fund allocations, and the Government to determine the above procedure.
Currently, the Decree of the Government of the Republic of Armenia "On establishing the procedure for using and calculating the use of the Environmental Protection Fund's Allocations and Invalidating the Government's Decision No. 1079-N of August 23, 2012" is used, according to which the established regulations, due to the prescription of their development, do not allow to fully and without obstacles to implement the process of performing, on its own initiative, by the authorized state management body in the field of the environment, works related to reclamation works not performed by the subsoil user or part of them.
It is necessary to create a legal framework that will ensure the implementation of the process of determining the reliability of reclamation works, their quality-compliance with executive acts, a project or program or a contract on the use of subsoil, determining the compliance of the volumes and costs of reclamation works carried out, as well as the most effective management and use of the amounts allocated by users of the subsoil to the environmental protection fund, the process of bringing the territories violated as a result of subsoil use into good condition.
The project will clarify the procedure for using the environmental protection fund and calculating the amount of allocations, the process of providing money from the fund for the purpose of reclamation works on its own initiative to the subsoil user or the authorized state administration body in the field of the environment, as well as the decision-making process by the authorized state administration body in the field of the environment.
The involvement of other state bodies in the process of ensuring the implementation of reclamation works will be expanded.
The decision-making process on the provision, partial provision or non-provision of the amount corresponding to the estimated values of the works accepted from the fund by the relevant executive acts for the purpose of reclamation works will significantly improve, the efficiency of spending the amounts allocated from the fund for reclamation works will increase.