The population of EU countries will decrease by 6% by 2100, the EU statistical service Eurostat predicts. From January 1, 2022 to January 1, 2100, the number of residents in the EU will decrease by 27.3 million, to 420 million. At the same time in 2022, the population began to recover after a decline associated with the coronavirus.
According to preliminary data, 451 million people lived in the EU on January 1, 2023, compared to 443.2 million in 2021. Eurostat attributes the increase to the mass influx of Ukrainian refugees.
The maximum population – 453 million people – is expected in 2026.
In 2022-2100, the proportion of residents aged 0 to 19 years will decrease from 20% to 18%, and from 20 to 64 years – from 59% to 50%. The shares of residents aged 65-79 and older will increase from 15% to 17% and from 6% to 15%, respectively.
Preliminary data of the census for 2021 indicate an increase of the population compared to 2011 in 16 EU countries and a decrease – in 9. The most significant increase for 10 years showed Luxembourg (26%), Malta (24%) and Sweden (10%), reduction – Bulgaria (11%), Croatia (10%), Latvia (9%) and Lithuania (8%).
The leaders in the number of inhabitants in 2021 were Germany (83.2 million), France (67.9 million), Italy (59 million), Spain (47.4 million) and Poland (37 million).
Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob have arrived in Kiev, where they will participate in a summit to mark the anniversary of the liberation of Buča. Slovak Prime Minister Heger arrived in Ukraine on Friday and will meet with President Vladimir Zelenski, the Slovakian news agency TASR reported.
Along with Heger, Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nagy arrived in Ukraine. The time and place of the meeting are not disclosed in advance for security reasons.
According to Heger, Zelenski invited him to visit Ukraine in a telephone conversation after Slovakia approved the transfer of MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine.
For his part, Nagy is scheduled to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Alexey Reznikov during the day.
In addition, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic arrived in Kyiv on Friday morning. He is scheduled to meet with Zelensky, Prime Minister Denis Shmygal and Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk. Also with the Croatian prime minister arrived Minister of Veterans Affairs Tomo Medved.
According to the Croatian government’s website, together with Zelenski, Heger, Golob and Moldovan President Maia Sandu, they will take part in a summit on “Bucha – Russian Responsibility for Crimes in Ukraine” in Kiev to mark the anniversary of the liberation of Bucha (Kiev region). A joint press conference will follow.
This is Plenkovic’s second visit to Ukraine since the Russian aggression began on February 24, 2022. Last May, he met with the Ukrainian leadership in Kiev and visited Irpen and Bucha.
The Slovenian newspaper Delo, for its part, reported on the arrival of Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob in Kiev on Friday. He also intends to meet with Zelenskyy.
For the Slovenian prime minister, this is his first visit to Ukraine since coming to power. His goal is to reaffirm his support for Ukraine, which has been a victim of Russian aggression since last February.
Golob will also be received by Shmygal and Stefančuk .
In the capital of Germany opens the first office of the state enterprise “Document”, where Ukrainian citizens will be able to issue passport documents.
“On Friday, March 31, a test mode of operation begins for citizens of Ukraine to obtain passport documents in Berlin at the address: Am Treptower Park 14, 12435 Berlin, floor 2”, – reported on the official website of SE “Document”.
During the period of operation in the test mode, visitors will be served from Monday to Saturday from 9.00 to 18.00 in the “waiting list”.
Reportedly, the full launch of the center will be additional notice on the official resources of SE “Document”. Until now Ukrainians had the opportunity to issue passports in Germany only through consular offices.
Now abroad passport services, where Ukrainian citizens can apply for a passport – foreign or ID-card, operate in Poland, Turkey, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
Gas transit through Ukraine increased again after completing the usual weekend decline – to the standard level.
UKRAINIAN TRANSIT
“Ukraine’s GTS Operator (OGTSU) accepted a 42.4 million cubic meters transit request from Gazprom for Tuesday, the Ukrainian company said. The nomination for Monday was 40 million cubic meters. The capacity is claimed for only one of the two entry points into the country’s GTS, the Sudzha gas metering station. No bid was accepted for the corridor through the Sohranovka gas metering station.
EUROPEAN MARKET
Electricity generation from wind turbines in Europe last week already accounted for 21% of the region’s needs. Monday’s figure is roughly the same (20.8 percent), according to the WindEurope Association.
On Monday the price of gas rose by 4%. The day-ahead contract at the TTF hub in the Netherlands closed at $481 per thousand cubic meters.
The gap in LNG prices in Asia compared to Europe is noticeable. The May JKM Platts futures (Japan Korea Marker, reflecting the spot market value of cargoes shipped to Japan, South Korea, China and Taiwan) traded at $447; the North West Europe LNG futures (LNG North West Europe Marker) was $426.
RESERVES IN EUROPE
Europe’s current gas reserve level is 56.02%, 22 percentage points above the average for the same dates over the past five years, according to Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE).
Gas reserves rose by a symbolic 0.05 percentage points on the weekend of March 26. The inventory build-up has continued for five days in a row.
European LNG receiving terminals operated at an average capacity of 63 percent in February and have been showing 66 percent utilization since early March. US STORAGE STOCK.
The state of U.S. UGS inventories is becoming increasingly important to the global market as the country actively ramps up exports.
During the next reporting week, reserves dropped by 2 bln cubic meters – a noticeable increase (60%) from the normal level at that time.
The current inventory level is 39%, 23 percentage points above the average for the last five years, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Freeport LNG, the largest U.S. LNG plant, has restarted all three liquefaction lines. This reduces the surplus gas in the U.S. market and increases global supply.
Industrial production in Ukraine in 2022 fell by 36.9%, while in 2021 there was an increase of 1.9%, the State Statistics Service (Gosstat) said on Monday. The agency specified that industrial production in Ukraine decreased by 44.1% in December 2022 against December 2021, while in November the decline was 41.9% and in October – 41.6%.
Last year March was the worst month for the dynamics of industrial production, when after the Russian full-scale invasion it dropped by 53.7%, although in January the growth of 2.9% was recorded, and in February it was 10.1%.
In April the rate of decline decreased to 46.6%, and in May-June – to 40.9%-40.8%, respectively.
In the third quarter, before Russian shelling caused problems with energy supplies, this trend continued: after industrial production fell by 42.3% in July, in August and September it was 39.4% and 39.8%, respectively.
The State Statistics Service specifies that the data does not include the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea and Sevastopol, as well as part of the temporarily occupied territories in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
By sectors, the statistics agency recorded the largest decline – 41.2% – in the processing industry, while in the extractive industry it was 30.1%, in the supply of electricity, gas and steam – 30.7%.
At the same time, in the extractive industry such indicator provided coal mining (down 7.7%) and gas and oil (down 8.4%), while in the mining of metal ores decline was 61.7% and other minerals and quarrying – 75.1%.
Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk will pay an official visit to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on 27-28 March.
According to the press service of the Verkhovna Rada, the program of the visit includes meetings with members of the British parliament. In particular, Stefanchuk will communicate with Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsey Goyle and Lord Speaker of the House of Lords D.F. McFaul, members of both Houses of Parliament, representatives of the UK-Ukraine Friendship Group and the Conservatives as Friends of Ukraine initiative group.
A number of bilateral meetings are also planned: with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and former British Prime Minister, MP Boris Johnson.
During the visit, a memorandum of understanding will be signed between the offices of the Verkhovna Rada and the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
