Abstract
<jats:p>This article is devoted to a comprehensive theoretical and analytical study of the national and regional environmental management systems in Ukraine in the context of contemporary European integration processes, decentralization reform, and post-conflict environmental restoration. The relevance of the study is determined by a combination of interrelated factors: first, the critical gap between declared regulatory targets and the actual results of environmental policy implementation; second, the unprecedented environmental damage caused by the Russian Federation’s armed aggression; third, the constitutionally enshrined course of European integration, which entails the systematic harmonization of domestic environmental legislation with that of the EU. The aim of the study is a multi-level systemic analysis of the architectural features, institutional dysfunctions, and strategic prospects for the development of environmental governance at the national, regional, municipal, and corporate levels. The methodological basis of the study consists of: the method of systemic analysis – to reveal the interrelationships between the levels and actors of environmental governance; the structural-functional approach –to identify functional conflicts between sectoral management bodies; the comparative legal method – to compare national legislation with EU standards; the comparative method – to analyze the management models of the EU, Japan, Finland, China, and Canada; and the synthesis method – to summarize the scientific contributions of domestic and foreign researchers. The research results are systematized in the following analytical tables. It has been demonstrated that effective environmental policy requires synergy among regulatory, market, and technological instruments, the development of INSPIRE-compatible digital monitoring infrastructure, and the phased upgrading of corporate standards from ISO 14001 to EMAS. The practical value of the article lies in establishing an evidence-based analytical foundation for justifying management decisions in the field of “green recovery,” reforming environmental management institutions, and adapting the national environmental management system to European Union standards and directives.</jats:p>