The decrease in vodka production in 2020 by 6.7% compared to 2019, to 44.5 million liters (in terms of pure alcohol) with an increase in its consumption and alcohol production by 36%, to 9.3 million decaliters, indicates the growth of the illegal alcohol market, Head of the State Fiscal Service Vadym Melnyk has said at a meeting with business representatives. According to him, in 2013-2020 production of vodka decreased by 2.5 times, alcohol – 2.8 times, and the excise tax on these products increased threefold.
Melnyk recalled that in order to combat illegal excisable goods, the service launched the Alcohol operation on February 1, 2021, during which law enforcement officers seized 226 tonnes of alcohol, 134 tonnes of alcoholic drinks, 547,000 packs of tobacco products and more than 8,000 excise duty stamps.
He clarified that for the period from February 1 to February 25, 2021, the Fiscal Service identified 53 websites with offers of illegal alcohol, 21 Internet ads were removed from websites. The courts are considering 12 petitions to restrict access to almost a hundred websites, one court decision was received with an appeal to the provider to stop illegal trade.
The head of the service noted the prevalence of online sales of illegal alcohol and its transportation through delivery services. He informed about the plans of the State Fiscal Service to work out a solution to reduce transportation of illegal excisable goods, without restricting the activities of carriers.
According to Melnyk, most of the seized alcohol was produced under the brands of the producers Prime, Lubotinn, Oleksandriya and Zlatogor.
In addition, he noted the facts of repeated confiscation of the previously seized products with the same excise stamps, as well as cases of theft of illegal products from storage sites and their incomplete utilization.
Ukraine in 2020 imported 531,400 vehicles worth more than $ 4.2 billion, including 486,300 passenger cars for almost $ 3.5 billion, Ukrautoprom reported.
“Compared to 2019, import of passenger cars decreased by 11%,” the association’s website says.
The largest supplier of passenger cars last year was Germany, from where 99,772 cars were imported for $ 548.1 million.
Imports of trucks and special vehicles last year decreased by 16%, to 43,500 units, and the suppliers of these vehicles earned $ 717.4 million against $ 841.9 million a year earlier. In this segment, Germany was also the largest supplier with 9,589 vehicles for $ 114 million.
The purchase of buses abroad cost Ukraine $ 64.1 million: 1,600 buses were purchased, which is 35% less than a year earlier.
“Despite the fact that the largest number of buses in 2020 came to Ukraine from Germany (568 units), Belarus earned more than others from the supply of this type of transport – $ 38.6 million for 307 buses,” the association says.
Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Dmytro Senik on Saturday, February 27, began a working visit to Qatar, where he got acquainted with the infrastructure and technical capabilities of the Qatari seaport Hamad, which is one of the largest ports in the Middle East and the Gulf.
“The deputy minister held a meeting with the leadership of the port, as well as negotiations with the leadership of the Qatari company Milaha and the port operator QTerminals. The parties discussed the state of implementation of the agreement between the Infrastructure Ministry of Ukraine and the Qatari company QTerminals on concession of the Ukrainian port Olvia (Mykolaiv),” the press service of the ministry reports.
In addition, Senik invited Qatari partners to visit Ukraine and get acquainted with the investment potential in the infrastructure sector.
Ukraine and Israel have agreed on a special commercial flight Kyiv-Tel Aviv-Kyiv in early March to return Ukrainians home, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Oleh Nikolenko has said.
“Ukraine and Israel have agreed on a special commercial flight Kyiv-Tel Aviv-Kyiv at the beginning of March to return Ukrainians home. The Ukrainian Embassy in Israel will additionally inform on the exact date and conditions for purchasing a ticket. Israel’s borders for regular flights remain closed,” he wrote on Twitter on Friday.
TOP 20 countries Ukraine has posted the highest surplus of trade in goods in Jan-Nov of 2020 (thsd USD).
SSC of Ukraine
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Kyiv Metropoliten have signed a loan agreement in the amount of EUR 50 million for the purchase of 50 new metro cars.
According to the website of Kyiv City State Administration, Kyiv City Council and the EBRD signed the necessary guarantee agreement.
“Today we are signing a loan agreement between the EBRD and Kyiv Metropoliten and a guarantee agreement between Kyiv City Council and the EBRD. And I hope that by the end of this year we will conclude a contract for the purchase of new cars for Kyiv Metropoliten. Under the terms of the loan, the city will receive an installment payment plan from the EBRD for 12 years,” Mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko said.
He also said that now Kyiv is building two new metro stations in Vynohradar residential area – Mostytska and Prospekt Pravdy.
“We plan to open them by the end of the year. Today, more than 700 meters of 1.3 km of tunnel underground have been developed in the direction of the Syretska metro station. A tunnel is being built between the future stations Mostytska and Prospekt Pravdy. Therefore, these cars will serve the Syretsko-Pecherska line of the metro,” Klitschko said.
According to the EBRD, improving communication with the Vynohradar residential area by opening two new metro stations will help reduce the use of private cars and improve air quality.
