The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved a $350 million First Economic Recovery Development Policy Loan (DPL) for Ukraine in support of reforms that are critical to economic recovery. According to the press service of the World Bank, the key reforms supported by the DPL include: strengthening land and credit markets by creating a transparent and efficient market for agricultural land and resolving non-performing loans in state owned banks; fostering de-monopolization and anti-corruption institutions including by restructuring the gas sector; bolstering the social safety net for the vulnerable elderly population to cushion the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is resulting in a sharp economic downturn that is hurting the incomes of ordinary Ukrainians and small businesses, and straining the government’s budget. This development policy loan provides $350 million to support budget expenditures at a difficult time. The World Bank welcomes the Government’s commitment to these reforms to prepare the economy for recovery, including the significant steps taken to end the moratorium on agricultural land sales, and to bolster benefits for the vulnerable elderly population,” Arup Banerji, incoming World Bank Country Director for Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine, said.
This DPL is the first of two planned operations, with the second DPL expected to support the additional important land reform legislation and further strengthen pension benefits for the elderly population.
The development policy loan is part of the World Bank’s stepped-up support to Ukraine to address the impacts of COVID-19 and complements the approval of additional financing of $135 million for the Serving People, Improving Health Project and $150 million for the Social Safety Nets Modernization Project.
Additional support to directly cushion the most vulnerable population from the impact of the pandemic is also under preparation.
Since Ukraine joined the World Bank in 1992, the Bank’s commitments to the country have totaled about $14 billion for more than 80 projects and programs.
Ratio of fertility and mortality by region as of Jan-Apr, 2020
State-owned Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority (USPA) has said it eliminated pollution of the sea next to the sunken tanker Delfi in the area of Dolphin Beach. The enterprise insists on solving the problem of raising it, stressing that the ship owner must do this, USPA’s press service said on Thursday.
“The administration of the seaports of Ukraine, taking into account the active discussion of this issue by the public, emphasizes that the only legal way to solve the problem with the emergency tanker is to carry out all the work and eliminate the consequences of the incident directly and exclusively by the owner,” the statement said.
At the same time, the state-owned enterprise notes that the USPA does not have any legal grounds for independently raising the vessel. According to Article 123 of the Merchant Shipping Code, USPA will receive such a right only if a number of conditions and circumstances independent of it arise directly:
– the owner of the vessel will not ensure its recovery within the time limits established by the captain of the port (State services of sea and river transport of Ukraine). USPA will have the right to raise the vessel no earlier than July 20, 2020;
– the State Environmental Inspectorate provides an appropriate document stating that the tanker poses an immediate threat to environmental pollution;
– the owner of the vessel documents the readiness and undertakes to compensate USPA SE the cost of the work;
– the captain of the port of Odesa grants permission to raise property that has sunk within the water area of the seaport.
“If at least one of the above conditions does not occur, the right (and in this case the obligation) to raise and remove the vessel will remain solely with the owner. As of June 23, USPA received an official, clear and unambiguous refusal for compensation of expenses, and also assured of a full understanding of the responsibility and financial, organizational and technical readiness of the ship owner to raise his own ship,” USPA said.
At the same time, as noted in the message, organizationally, USPA was ready as early as April 1, 2020 (the deadline originally set by the port captain). Tender documentation was worked out and agreed and funds are provided in the financial plan.
According to the latest data from the state-owned enterprise, the work execution plan provided by the ship owner was worked out and agreed by the captain of the Odesa Sea Port and the State Environmental Inspectorate. Based on the above, the activation of the preparatory work, at the request of the ship owner, the deadline for the completion of the work on cleaning the tanker from the Odesa beach by the port captain has been extended.
Earlier, the State Environmental Inspectorate reported that according to the results of samples taken by Ukraine’s State Ecological Inspectorate, the content of oil products in the Black Sea near the Dolphin beach (Odesa) is 16.4 times higher than the permissible concentration.
As reported, in the Gulf of Odesa, the Delfi tanker under the flag of Moldova suffered a disaster – the ship broke anchor.
USPA said initially the tanker was in neutral waters and did not apply for entry into the Odesa or “South” sea ports. But later a signal was given that the ship was in distress, it was left without fuel, with an inoperative engine. In this regard, the Odesa Rescue Coordination Center, which received the signal, began to take measures to eliminate the emergency. It was agreed to tow the tanker to Ochakiv port.
On the night of November 22, Delfi managed to gain an anchor at a distance of about 1 mile from the coast near the Dolphin Beach. However, according to USPA, at 5:00, the vessel began drifting again. On the evening of the same day, rescuers managed to evacuate three crew members from the ship. They were hospitalized, doctors reported overwork and hypothermia.
The owner of the vessel had to take measures by March 31, 2020 to raise and remove the sunken tanker from the waters of Odesa Sea Port. On April 1, the prosecutor took control of the case.
Тhe State Agency of Automobile Roads of Ukraine (Ukravtodor) intends to completely renew the M-05 Kyiv-Odesa highway in 2020-2021.
Ukravtodor said on its Facebook page that it is also planned to equip roadside infrastructure, recreation areas, establish Weigh-in-Motion sites, as well as other security measures on the highway.
“The repaired 25 km of the road (in Kyiv and Cherkasy regions) brought us closer to the goal for 2021 – to carry out the overhaul of the M-05 road over the entire length. For this, we are already designing sections in three areas. In the near future, we are waiting for work to begin on 40 km of the road in Kyiv region, this is the last non-ideal road section in the region … Another important point is the interchanges that will begin to be built this year. One will be near Vita-Poshtova, the other in Chabany. Strategically we plan to completely abandon left turns on the tracks of international importance,” Head of Ukravtodor Oleksandr Kubrakov said.
The agency also notes that it plans to launch long-term maintenance contracts for the M-05 highway. They can be concluded for a period of up to seven years, while now one- or two-year contracts are most common. To date, Ukraine has only one long-term contract for road maintenance in Lviv region, as part of a pilot in the EBRD and EIB project.
The total length of the M-05 highway is 504.6 km.
Volume of construction products produced by type in Jan-Apr of 2020 (Mln Uah)
The first after the coronavirus lockdown charter flight, carried out by JONIKA Airlines, has departed from the Kyiv International Airport to Tirana, Albania, with Ukrainian tourists on board.
“Albania is the first country to receive tourists from Ukraine. Today, on June 26, the first charter flight has departed from Ukraine’s Kyiv Airport following the resumption of air traffic with other countries of the world,” the airport said on its Facebook page.
According to the message, the plane took off from Kyiv at 10:00.
