The article identifies and substantiates the determinants of regions smart specialization, highlights the connection with the processes of environmental clusters formation to more effectively overcome the passivity of innovation and industrial policies in combination with the model of structural and organizational reconfiguration. The authors thoroughly studied the experience of EU countries in creating ecological clusters and producing eco-innovations. The main barriers of smart regions specialization in Ukraine and its problematic aspects in ensuring the development of ecological clusters are identified. The authors systematized the main ecological innovations in clusters. The article gives recommendations for the development of environmental clusters in Ukraine under the context of smart specialization.