The Ministry of Energy and Environmental Protection of Ukraine will be divided into two relevant departments, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal has said.
“The separation of the ministry and the creation of the post of the profile minister of ecology are on the agenda,” he said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine, emphasizing that the previous merger of the ministries did not produce the expected effect.
“It was strange for me when I got to the first meetings of the Cabinet of Ministers, when the minister of energy first reported on the state of affairs in the nuclear energy industry, then the coal industry, and then on the Red Book plants and catch of bloodworms. Since then, I have been a supporter of the idea that a professional ecologist should be involved in ecology, to whom it is close and who lives with it,” Shmyhal said.
As reported, in August 2019, the Verkhovna Rada supported the candidatures for the posts of members of the new Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. By this decision, the Minister of Energy and Environmental Protection of Ukraine was appointed. Prior to this, the government had two separate ministries: the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Ecology.
The Motor (Transport) Insurance Bureau of Ukraine (MTIBU) is introducing new tariffs for Green Card policies for those traveling abroad by road from May 16, 2020.
According to the report on the bureau’s website, the MTIBU recalculated the cost of Green Card insurance certificates downward by 4%.
The last change in tariffs was on April 1, 2020 upward by 4.4%, the previous on March 20 by 4.7%.
Green Card policies have been implemented since 2009 in two ways: all of Europe; Belarus, Moldova and Russia. Also, from January 1, 2016 Ukrainian Green Card policies began to operate in Azerbaijan.
According to the MTIBU, the cost of Green Card policies in Ukraine for 15 days for trips across Europe for cars is reduced to UAH 712 (previously UAH 741), for buses to UAH 2,667 (UAH 2,785), and for trucks to UAH 1,681 (UAH 1,748).
The cost of Green Card for one month for cars will be UAH 1,134 (previously UAH 1,180), buses UAH 3,719 (UAH 3,868), and for trucks some UAH 1,681 (UAH 2,321).
Ukrainian population by regions as of March 1, 2020 (graphically)
Ukrainian legislation should enable pharmaceutical manufacturers to buy a license for the production of a COVID-19 vaccine, which can be developed by foreign companies, Head of the supervisory board of JSC Farmak (Kyiv) Filya Zhebrovska has said.
“Ukrainian legislation should provide an opportunity so that we can buy or use a license, possibly pay royalties, so that we have the opportunity to produce this vaccine,” the company’s press service reported, quoting her as saying.
Zhebrovska said that the possibility of buying a license to produce a COVID-19 vaccine at Ukrainian production facilities will reduce the price of this vaccine by 15-20% compared with the purchase of the finished product.
As reported, Farmak does not rule out the possibility of joining a consortium, which the European Investment Bank (EIB), together with WHO, created to develop the COVID-19 vaccine. The EIB allocated EUR 7.6 billion to this consortium.
In the middle of May, Farmak, as part of international research, began the third phase of clinical trials of the Amizon drug (Enisamium) in fighting COVID-19 in Ukraine.
Farmak is the leader in the pharmaceutical market with a share of 5.9% in monetary terms. The company annually reinvests of approximately 95% of the profits in its development.
Farmak is a member of the Manufacturers of Medications of Ukraine association.
According to the public register, the ultimate beneficial owner of PJSC Farmak is Zhebrovska, who holds 80% of shares in the company.
The government would make the promotion of Ukrainian exported goods one of Key Performance Indicators (KPI) of Ukrainian diplomats, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has said. “We are working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to slightly change the focus of the diplomatic service of Ukraine abroad. We will focus our diplomats on promoting Ukrainian exports. This is such a kind of reform. Promoting Ukrainian exports to global markets will become one of the KPIs of Ukrainian diplomats. Another KPI may be to attract investment in the country. From [Ukraine] export [is going], outside [the country] investment [is coming], and import will come into Ukraine with the help of efforts of diplomats of other states,” he said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
As for internal investments, the prime minister said that in the existing conditions, he would “localize himself and engage in economic and investment nationalism, in the good sense of the word, and invest in Ukraine.”In his opinion, the country has very good conditions for investment, as well as a good margin in certain sectors in terms of economic opportunities.
“Therefore, one needs to invest at home, develop local production, improve quality and then go outside with export,” Shmyhal said.
JSC Ukrzaliznytsia in January-March 2020 saw a loss of UAH 7 billion, according to materials of the Cabinet of Ministers posted on its website on Wednesday.
According to the document, since March 11, 2020, Ukrzaliznytsia has suspended economic activity, which negatively affects its financial and economic performance.
“According to the results of the first quarter of this year, the company saw losses of UAH 7 billion… At the same time, according to the company’s forecasts, due to the need to repay loans and interest on them (UAH 11 billion and UAH 3 billion, respectively), a shortage of funds by the end of the year may amount to UAH 16 billion,” the company said in an explanatory note.
According to the document, the reduction in production in Ukraine, the shutdown of enterprises-shippers and the negative situation on international markets led to a 4.8% decrease in total cargo turnover in the first quarter of 2020 compared to the same period last year.
In order to minimize the negative consequences, Ukrzaliznytsia is implementing a number of compensation measures: an idle time for staff, suspension of planned salary increases, restriction of procurement of material and technical resources and services (except for critical positions), and optimization of payments.
On this basis, the Infrastructure Ministry proposed that the basic standard for sending part of the profits allocated for the payment of dividends based on the results of economic activities in 2019 is set in the amount of 30% (currently – 90%) for Ukrzaliznytsia.
