The Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food will perform a coordinating function in the anti-corruption audit of the State Land Cadastre, and the obtained data on land fraud will be transferred to law enforcement agencies, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Roman Leshchenko told Interfax-Ukraine on Tuesday.
According to him, relevant agreements have already been signed on conducting an independent anti-corruption audit with the involvement of international organizations, which will include data from the Ukrainian side and independent expertise. This information will be published on the open data portal, and information about land scammers will be provided for consideration by law enforcement agencies and the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC).
“The relevant data will be formed for all land scammers and a collegial decision of the National Security and Defense Council will be made in accordance with the current legislation,” the minister said.
Leshchenko said that the tracking of all schemes for the consolidation of assets and their beneficiaries will not end quickly, since all processes will be worked out systematically, without the use of selective measures. As an example, the minister cited a “network” formed on the basis of powers of attorney signed by 5,000 citizens, who authorized one person to execute registration and transfer of land plots.
“We are talking about land plots with the legal title of private farms, consolidated on the balance sheet of legal entities, including those with the beneficiaries, close to one or another vertical of power over the past 30 years of our statehood,” Leshchenko said.
Exemption of bioenergy projects on solid fuels from the payment of tax on carbon dioxide emissions will increase the interest of investors in these projects and the volume of investments in them, the deputy chairman of the State Agency on Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving of Ukraine, Yuriy Shafarenko, has said.
“This will open up new opportunities for investment. Solar and wind plants are, of course, good, but Ukraine is an agricultural country, and bioenergy projects are very important. Development of bioenergy should be perceived as one of the most promising areas of renewable energy,” he said in an interview with the online portal Energy Reform.
He clarified that the relevant bill has already been agreed with the ministries of energy, digitalization, economy, as well as with the Ministry of Finance.
“The most important thing was to agree on the bill with the Ministry of Finance, because this Ministry is the least interested in it. But realizing the importance and correctness of this document, the Ministry of Finance agreed on it,” Shafarenko said, adding that exemption of bioenergy from the carbon tax is an international practice.
The agency plans to send the bill to the Ministry of Justice in the near future and after the conclusion is made by the agency – for consideration by the Cabinet of Ministers, the expert said.
At the same time, Shafarenko highly appreciates the chances of this bill being approved by the Verkhovna Rada.
“I think the prospect of its adoption is very high. It does not have such opponents to be very against it,” he predicts.
At the same time, according to him, the exemption of bioenergy from paying the CO2 tax is extremely important, given the prospects for its significant increase.
“When this tax was 41 kopecks per tonne of CO2, it was an insignificant burden. Then the tax was raised to UAH 10 – already more, but it was still possible to put up, and this did not really restrain investors in the industry. But they want to increase it to UAH 30-60, and this will have a tangible effect on the development of bioenergy,” Shafarenko said.
Consignors – which can only be Gazprom – have not been interested by offers of additional capacities for gas transportation through Ukraine for June from Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine (GTSOU).
Gazprom has a long-term reservation of Ukrainian capacities in the volume of 40 billion cubic meters for 2021, which is equal to 109 million cubic meters per day. The company additionally booked 15 mcm at auction on May 17, giving a total of 124 mcm per day.
GTSOU offered an additional 63.7 mcm per day at the monthly auction on Tuesday; however, there were no bids for this. The outcome of the last major additional auction a month ago was the same.
The announcement of this auction – with the prospect of significant supply growth on the European market – and its outcome have a substantial influence on spot prices for gas on the European market. They reduce under pressure of the appearance of potential new supply and rebound following an unsuccessful auction. Meanwhile, Gazprom prefers not to comment on its plans regarding short-term reservation of Ukrainian capacities.
Gazprom is currently pumping 124 mcm per day on average through Ukraine, fully using the volume booked.
If Gazprom had accepted the offer to use additional transit capacities, it would have meant a return to transportation volumes through Ukraine of 2019, before the new transit contract and payment of $3 billion to Naftogaz in line with a Stockholm arbitration ruling.
Europe is currently dramatically increasing gas consumption. Global supplies of liquefied natural gas and pipeline gas from Russia are at their highest levels, but this so far impedes the start of mass replenishment of gas in underground storage facilities to prepare for next winter.
In connection with the situation in Belarus, Ukraine is ready to provide states and private companies with its airspace for reorganizing air routes, the press service of the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine said, with reference to minister Oleksandr Kubrakov. “The events in Belarus have become an international precedent. Our priority is the safety of passengers and aviation. The primary task is the prompt organization of all events in strict accordance with international and national legislation. Ukraine is ready, on its part, to provide maximum support to states and private companies in the process of restructuring routes through our airspace,” Kubrakov said.
As reported, Ukraine stops air traffic with Belarus from May 26. The corresponding decision was made at a government meeting on May 25.
Earlier on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky instructed the Ukrainian government to prepare a decision on the termination of flights between Ukraine and Belarus in connection with the events that took place at Minsk airport on May 23.
National bank of Ukraine’s official rates as of 25/05/21
Source: National Bank of Ukraine
Official rates of banking metals from national bank as of May 25
Source: Central Bank
