Mariupol-based Illich Iron and Steel Works (Donetsk region), part of Metinvest Group, in January-February this year increased the production of general rolled products, according to recent data, by 19% compared to the same period last year, to 660,000 tonnes.
As the enterprise told Interfax-Ukraine, steel production during this period increased by 3.7%, to 700,000 tonnes, cast iron by 15.2%, to 765,000 tonnes, and sinter by 14.3%, to 2.152 million tonnes.
In February, the plant produced about 300,000 tonnes of general rolled products, 340,000 tonnes of steel, 410,000 tonnes of cast iron, and 1.07 million tonnes of sinter.
Metinvest is a vertically integrated group of mining companies. Its main shareholders are SCM Group (71.24%) and Smart-Holding (23.76%), jointly managing the company.
Metinvest Holding LLC is the managing company of Metinvest Group.
Foreign trade turnover by the most important positions in Jan-Nov 2020 (export).
Ukraine may lift the ban on the import of unprocessed timber exclusively for the EU countries after it provides transparency in the domestic market, as it is suggested by bill No. 4197-1, Deputy Minister of Economy and Trade Representative of Ukraine Taras Kachka has said. “We informed them with a note that we would pass the law in six months. The bill we are putting on is No. 4197-1. This is the bill on the timber market. The logic is very simple: first, we ensure transparency in the domestic market so that there are no grounds for manipulation. As part of this bill, we will also consider lifting the moratorium exclusively for the EU – we have no reason to lift it for the rest,” Kachka told Interfax-Ukraine on the sidelines of the Ukraine 30 forum.
He stressed that trade with the EU will be possible only with transparent mechanisms.
“Now in the EU there are two initiatives on forest control – corporate due diligence and a ban on the import of unprocessed raw materials is even possible. So they have the same process going on, we will actively synchronize,” Kachka said.
As reported, the Verkhovna Rada on April 9, 2015 adopted a law, which banned the export of unprocessed timber and sawn timber (round timber) for 10 years.
In 2018, the parliament limited domestic consumption of unprocessed timber to 25 billion cubic meters per year for the duration of the export of round timber outside the customs territory of the country.
In January 2020, Ukraine and the EU created an arbitration group to consider a dispute over Ukraine’s ban on the export of raw timber. At the end of 2020, it issued a decision recognizing its right to restrict timber exports under certain circumstances, while at the same time recognizing the need to adjust the 2015 moratorium in cooperation with the EU.
The pharmaceutical company Farmak (Kyiv) stands for mutual recognition of the results of good manufacturing practice (GMP) checks in production of medicines within the framework of the Ukraine-EU industrial dialogue. “A key prerequisite for realizing cooperation opportunities between the Ukrainian and European pharmaceutical sectors is to update the scope of the future ACAA agreement (Agreement on Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of Industrial Goods) with the EU. First of all, to include provisions on the mutual recognition of the results of audits of good manufacturing practice in the pharmaceutical sector (GMP),” Yevhenia Piddubna, the director for corporate communications at Farmak, told Interfax-Ukraine.
She also noted the high potential for the participation of the Ukrainian pharmaceutical industry in the diversification of European supply chains for critical medicines in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Farmak is one of the oldest pharmaceutical companies in Ukraine, specializing in the production of modern high-tech drugs. At the company’s production sites, a pharmaceutical quality system has been introduced and it is constantly being improved in accordance with the current regulatory requirements and in accordance with international standards: ISO, GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice). The company undergoes several international inspections and audits annually.
The company is included in the top 100 largest taxpayers in Ukraine. In 2020, Farmak paid taxes totaling more than UAH 712 million, including UAH 120 million to the Kyiv city budget.
Farmak is a member of the Manufacturers of Medications of Ukraine association.