In Spain, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INE), annual harmonized inflation in March 2025 fell to 2.2% from 2.9% in February, the lowest rate in the last five months and below the forecast of 2.6%. The decline in inflation was driven by a drop in electricity prices due to increased hydropower production following heavy rainfall, as well as lower prices for fuel and motor oil.
Core inflation, which excludes fresh food and energy prices, also fell to 2.0% year-on-year, reaching its lowest level since November 2021.
In March of this year, Naftogaz Group paid UAH 11.7 billion to the state budget, which is UAH 3.4 billion, or 41%, more than in the same period in 2024, the company said on Wednesday.
“Naftogaz enterprises continue to increase the amount of taxes paid. In March 2025, they paid UAH 11.7 billion, which is 7.3% of the total tax revenues to the state budget of Ukraine for this month,” the group said.
In particular, the group paid UAH 11.1 billion to the state budget, and another UAH 575 million was transferred to local budgets.
“Since the beginning of the year, the amount of taxes paid has already exceeded UAH 23.2 billion. Each contribution is an important component of strengthening our economic stability,” Naftogaz CEO Roman Chumak said as quoted in the report.
As reported, in February 2025, Naftogaz Group paid UAH 5.8 billion in taxes, which is 9.4% more than in the same period in 2024.
According to the results of 2024, Naftogaz Group companies paid UAH 88.6 billion in taxes to the general budget, including UAH 81.8 billion to the state budget and UAH 6.8 billion to local budgets.
In addition, in 2024, NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine paid UAH 15.7 billion in dividends to the state.
The Index of Economic Expectations of Investors and Analysts in Germany for the next six months, calculated by the ZEW Research Institute, fell to the lowest since July 2023 of minus 14 points in April from the highest since February 2022 of 51.6 points a month earlier. This is the most significant drop since March 2022. Analysts on average expected it to decline to 9.5 points in April, according to Trading Economics.
“Global uncertainty has increased dramatically, not only because of the possible effects of the [US] mirror duties on world trade, but also because of the dynamic nature of their changes,” said ZEW President Achim Wambach. ”This is especially affecting export-intensive industries such as the automotive and chemical industries, as well as the production of metals, machinery and steel, which have recently seen significant improvements.
Meanwhile, the indicator of attitudes toward the current situation in Germany increased to minus 81.2 points this month from minus 87.6 points in March.
In the eurozone, the index of economic expectations in April fell to the lowest since December 2022, minus 18.5 points from 39.8 points a month earlier. The experts’ forecast for this indicator was 14.2 points.
The indicator for assessing the current economic situation in the currency bloc decreased by 5.7 percentage points to minus 50.9 points.
Source: http://relocation.com.ua/index-ekonomichnyh-ochikuvan-investoriv/
The Ukrainian Sea Corridor has transported 116 million tons of cargo since its launch, including almost 73 million tons of grain, said Oleksiy Kuleba, Vice Prime Minister for Reconstruction of Ukraine and Minister of Communities and Territories Development.
“Since the launch of the Ukrainian Sea Corridor, 116 million tons of cargo have been transported. Of these, more than 73 million tons of grain have been transported to the countries of Europe, Africa and Asia,” Kuleba wrote on Facebook on Tuesday following the visit of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Odesa region.
At the same time, since the summer of 2023 alone, Russia has fired more than half a thousand missiles at our ports and damaged about 400 port infrastructure facilities, Kuleba noted in his Facebook post.
Kuleba also took part in a working trip, the press service of the Ministry of Communities and Territories Development said in a statement.
The Deputy Prime Minister said that in Odesa, Zelensky held a meeting on the security situation in the region and its socio-economic development. The focus was on people’s safety, protection of the sky over the region from Russian attacks, the situation with grain exports, the work of regional enterprises and support for our people.
“It is also important for us to protect the port infrastructure. This is a matter of Ukraine’s economy and global food security,” Kuleba emphasized, noting that strengthening protection against constant Russian attacks and stable operation of the sea corridor is of course of interest to the region’s producers.
Work is currently underway to strengthen the air shield over Odesa region. The state is also constantly working on security guarantees, in particular at sea, in the sky, and on land, the Deputy Prime Minister said in a post.
In early March, the Ministry of Development reported that 106 million tons of cargo had been transported through the Ukrainian sea corridor during its operation, of which almost 70 million tons were grain.
It was also reported that on Tuesday, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visited Odesa together with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
In January-March 2025, the Export Credit Agency (ECA) supported the exports of Ukrainian companies worth UAH 3.15 billion, with 20 exporters benefiting from the agency’s insurance coverage, the press service of the Ministry of Economy reports.
“In the first quarter, ECA insured exports worth more than UAH 3.1 billion. These are finished products with added value: furniture, food, packaging materials, wood and plastic products. Thanks to this support, 20 companies were able to secure their contracts and attract almost UAH 150 million in bank loans,” Deputy Minister of Economy Andriy Teliupa said in a press release.
He emphasized that this proves that state support tools are working: businesses receive protection, resources for expansion and confidently enter new markets.
The Ministry of Economy noted that Ukrainian companies will export furniture, food, paper, wood, and plastics to Poland, France, Germany, Bulgaria, Denmark, Hungary, the Netherlands, and other countries.
Thanks to ECA insurance, the business received bank loans worth almost UAH 150 million.
Raiffeisen Bank supported the exports of its ECA clients by UAH 1.3 billion, Creditwest Bank by UAH 1.26 billion, and Oschadbank by UAH 323 million.
Companies from Khmelnytsky region took advantage of the opportunity to insure export contracts most actively, with a total of UAH 1.3 billion, Volyn region – UAH 1.12 billion, and Zaporizhzhya region – UAH 230 million.
The Export Credit Agency of Ukraine (ECA) is a government agency that supports non-resource exports by insuring the risks of enterprises and banks. In particular, the agency insures foreign economic contracts, export credits, bank guarantees, and has started insuring investment credits against war risks.
Ukrposhta JSC will receive EUR600 thousand for the installation of modular branches from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s (EBRD) Special Crisis Response Fund, the company’s press service said.
According to the company’s announcement on Tuesday, the grant was provided in support of a EUR63 million loan already granted to Ukrposhta by the EBRD.
The company emphasized that the modular branches can be quickly installed in place of stationary branches that have been destroyed or damaged by enemy shelling.
“Modular offices will also be installed in settlements “cut off from the world” – with barrier-free access, equipped with Starlink and generators, they will become an island of stability for Ukrainians,” Ukrposhta said in a statement.
In addition, it is reported that in the modular branches it is possible to send a parcel within Ukraine and abroad; pick up ordered medicines; make a transfer or pick up funds sent by loved ones; subscribe to publications; pay utility and other bills; receive a pension.
The donors of the EBRD Special Crisis Response Fund are Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.
