Environmental Law in Transition: A Scoping Review and Doctrinal Comparative Analysis of Ukraine and Lithuania

This article examines the comparative method in environmental law through a systematic bilateral analysis of the foundational environmental protection laws adopted in Ukraine in 1991 and in Lithuania in 1992. The overarching aim is to contribute to the underexplored field of Ukraine-Lithuania comparative research by identifying similarities and differences and situating them within post-Soviet legal development and European integration processes. The study adopts a mixed methodological design combining a scoping-oriented literature review, consisting of a targeted narrative review using Google Scholar and a systematic review in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidelines using the Scopus database (n = 23), with a structured doctrinal comparison of the two legal acts. The literature review identifies four main rationales for comparing Ukraine and Lithuania in academic scholarship: shared Soviet historical heritage, post-socialist transition processes, cultural and societal similarities, and the identification of research gaps. The paper further demonstrates that comparative environmental law studies predominantly rely on broader post-Soviet or regional frameworks, with limited direct bilateral comparison between these two countries. The doctrinal analysis of environmental laws reveals both convergence and divergence. However, Lithuania exhibits a more dynamic and EU-integrated legislative trajectory characterised by continuous amendments and alignment with EU environmental acquis, whereas Ukraine demonstrates a more stable but less systematically EU-oriented legal evolution and comparatively gradual reform processes. The findings indicate that Europeanisation plays a key role in shaping divergent post-socialist environmental legal development. Lithuania represents a model of sustained EU-driven legal integration, while Ukraine reflects a more incremental adaptation path. The study contributes to the literature by providing a structured bilateral comparison of Ukraine and Lithuania in environmental law and by linking doctrinal differences to broader processes of post-Soviet transformation and Europeanisation.