The prime ministers of Croatia and Greece may run for the presidency of the European Commission, German newspaper Bild reports, citing EU sources. “As an EU insider told BILD, two possible alternatives have already been proposed. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (56, a powerful and influential member of the European People’s Party) and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic (54, won the internal elections this week) have expressed interest,” the Bild article says.
In March of this year, the European People’s Party voted to support European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as a candidate for the post of European Commission President.
The President of the European Commission is appointed by the European Parliament, the elections to which will be held on June 6-9 this year.
In response to the growing need for comprehensive support for wounded who have been seriously injured in the war zone, a modern rehabilitation hub is being built in Kyiv. This project was implemented thanks to the cooperation of the Center for Saving Lives, the Association of Osteo-Integrative Prosthetics and the Esculab Laboratories network.
“Our center was created to provide our military with the best possible assistance in recovering from severe injuries. We provide not only physical rehabilitation with the help of modern equipment, but also psychological support,” said Vyacheslav Zaporozhets, director of the Center for Saving Lives charitable foundation.
According to him, the project is unique in that it uses not only the most advanced technologies for physical rehabilitation, but also creates conditions for social adaptation and moral recovery of the military.
“We want every wounded soldier who has undergone amputation to be able to return to a full life,” emphasized Mr. Zaporozhets.
In his turn, co-founder of the Esculab laboratory, Serhiy Dyadyushko, also noted the importance of the work for the veterans’ recovery.
“The network of laboratories “Esculab” is not only about business. We are honored to be a part of this project. Our participation is not limited to financing; we are also actively involved in the process of education and training of specialists, which allows us to maintain a high level of services provided at the center,” he emphasized.
The center will be equipped to the highest standards, including anti-gravity walkways and group exercise spaces that allow patients to feel comfortable and safe during their rehabilitation.
The rehabilitation center is being built on a 500-square-meter area and includes a modern walking laboratory, a wrestling room, a cardio zone, a strength training zone, a dental office, two physiotherapy rooms, a meditation and sleep room, an occupational therapy kitchen, a mini shooting range, locker rooms and showers, etc. The center can accommodate 30 patients at a time.
The project is part of a larger initiative aimed at creating a network of similar centers across the country to ensure access to high-quality rehabilitation services for all victims.
“Eskulab is a network of medical laboratories of international quality of diagnostic tests based in Lviv and has one of the largest networks of branches in Ukraine. The network includes more than 100 sampling points in the cities and towns of Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, Zakarpattia, Khmelnytsky, Ternopil, Rivne, Volyn regions and Kyiv. “Eskulab provides patients with the opportunity to take tests at their place of residence and receive highly accurate results. In February 2020, Esculab Medical Laboratory underwent a voluntary assessment of its measurement capabilities in accordance with the requirements of DSTU ISO 10012:2005 “Measurement management systems. Requirements for measurement processes and measuring equipment” to confirm technical competence and received a Certificate of Conformity of the measurement management system. Today, Esculab performs more than 820 types of laboratory tests.
You can learn more about the initiative to build a rehabilitation hub in the video on the Experts Club YouTube channel here:
Esculab, EXPERTS CLUB, MEDICAL_AID, MEDICINE, REHABILITATION, SERGIY_DYADYUSHKO, TYTANOVI, VYACHESLAV_ZAPOROZHETS
First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yulia Sviridenko said that more than 3.2 billion hryvnias are envisaged for Dnipropetrovsk region for this year under all support programs, the Ukrainian presidential website reported on Saturday.
At the presentation of the “Made in Ukraine” economic platform in the city of Dnipro with the participation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, she noted that the more actively the region’s businesses apply for the relevant programs, the more they will be able to receive. According to Sviridenko, they are distributed to the already familiar to business state support “5-7-9”, grants for processing, compensation and new programs.
Zelensky thanked entrepreneurs for staying in their region despite full-scale Russian aggression, supporting the economy and providing people with jobs. He stressed the importance of strengthening air defense and protecting the energy infrastructure in the region.
According to the president, the authorities realize that business is in a difficult situation during the war, so it was for its support, solving issues and development of domestic production that the “Made in Ukraine” platform was launched.
Canada will provide Ukraine with an additional support package in 2024, which includes budget support of 2.4 billion Canadian dollars, Ukrainian Ambassador to Canada Yulia Kovaliv said on her Facebook page.
“We have an additional package of support from Canada in the submitted budget for 2024.
Budget support in the amount of 2.4 billion Canadian dollars (of which 2 billion have already been transferred through the IMF Special Account), an additional 400 million will arrive in the coming months.
1.6 billion Canadian dollars as part of a new 5-year military assistance program under the Security Agreement signed in Kiev on 24.02.2024.
216.7 million Canadian dollars through the EBRD to fund Ukraine’s reconstruction projects.
76 million Canadian dollars to finance projects under the program to maintain peace and security in Ukraine, in particular humanitarian demining,” – wrote Kovaliv.
Also, the Ambassador emphasized, the budget notes the plan of the Government of Canada to cooperate with international partners, the G7 countries to bring Russia to account, including through the confiscation of sovereign assets of the Russian Federation.
On April 17, 2024, the Embassy of the Argentine Republic in Ukraine organized a tasting of Argentine Malbec wines at Le Silpo in Kyiv on the occasion of World Malbec Day.
The presentation was opened by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Argentine Republic to Ukraine, Ms. Elena Leticia Teresa Mukusinski.
The history of Malbec is amazing: born in France, it failed to become popular in its homeland and moved to another continent, Argentina, where it finally received well-deserved recognition and universal love.
This grape variety was brought to Argentina in 1853 by the French agronomist Michel Aimé Puget (1821-1875), who was invited to head the agronomic farm in Mendoza by Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, an Argentine politician and future President of the Argentine Republic. The project on their foundation was submitted to the local legislative assembly on April 17, 1853, which became the starting point of Malbec’s new history.
After the cold winter of 1956, when more than 75% of Malbec vines in Europe died, Argentina became the main region where this grape variety is cultivated, and Malbec wine became a kind of visiting card of the country.
In 2011, the Wines of Argentina organization declared April 17 as World Malbec Day to promote Malbec and Argentine wines on the global market.
On January 6, 1992, Ukraine and Argentina established diplomatic relations. The Argentine Embassy in Ukraine was opened in May 1993.
Source: Diplomatic News
Ukraine’s real gross domestic product (GDP) year-on-year growth in March 2024 was 4.9%, compared to 5.0% in February and 5.2% in January, according to the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting (IEPC) Monthly Economic Monitor.
“Businesses faced restrictions on electricity supply as a result of Russian shelling of energy facilities. This has held back GDP growth. In April, we also expect GDP growth to slow down due to problems with access to electricity due to massive generation destruction,” said Alexandra Betlij, a leading researcher at the IEI.
The institute estimates that real gross value added (GVA) growth in the processing industry, slowed to almost 11% in March, down from 17% in January, while real GVA in electricity generation declined by 2% and is expected to fall further in April.
It is pointed out that real GVA in transportation continued to grow by more than 20%. Growth was also maintained in construction, particularly due to the construction of budget-financed fortifications, while growth in trade slowed to 4.6%.
Among the main macroeconomic trends last month, IED experts additionally highlighted the increase in transportation by Ukrzaliznytsia and through the Ukrainian Sea Corridor, which contributes to the development of a number of sectors of the economy, record external financing in the amount of $9 bln, a decrease in inflation to 3.2% and the discount rate to 14.5%, as well as the weakening of the hryvnia to 39 UAH/$1 on the background of restrained interventions by the NBU
It is also noted that the value of merchandise exports fell sharply in March this year compared to March last year amid continued decline in grain and iron ore prices.
As reported, after Ukraine’s GDP growth of 5.3% in 2023, the National Bank expects it to slow down this year to 3.6%, while the government – to 4.6%. According to the Ministry of Economy, GDP growth for January-February this year amounted to 3.6%, while the NBU in January forecast it in the first quarter at 7.1%.
