Hourly wages in the euro area in the third quarter of 2024 increased by an average of 4.4% compared to the same period in 2023, according to the European Union Statistical Office (Eurostat).
The indicator grew for the 13th quarter in a row, but the rate of growth in July-September was the lowest since the beginning of the year.
According to the revised data, wages rose by 4.9% in the second quarter, not 4.5% as previously announced.
Among the largest countries of the bloc, the slowdown in wage growth in the third quarter was recorded in Germany (to 4% from 5.7% in the second quarter) and France (to 2.7% from 3.3%), and acceleration – in Spain (to 4.7% from 3.9%) and Italy (to 5.2% from 4.2%).
In the EU, hourly wages in the third quarter increased by 5% on average compared to the same period last year. This is also the weakest growth since the beginning of the year: wage growth in the second quarter was 5.5%, and in the first quarter – 5.6%.
The strongest growth in hourly wages was recorded in Romania (17.1%), Croatia (15.1%) and Hungary (14.1%).
Ukrainians continue to demonstrate the power of unity and support for our defenders. As of the beginning of December, Kyivstar’s charity Superpower “Help for the Armed Forces of Ukraine”, activated by the operator’s subscribers, raised over UAH 52 million. The accumulated funds were transferred to the account of the “Come Back Alive” Foundation for Competent Assistance to the Army as part of joint projects.
The connected service allows prepaid subscribers to make a monthly donation of up to UAH 50 simply by using their mobile phone. The donation is automatically deducted when paying for the tariff without additional charges for the subscriber. You can check whether your tariff has the Super Power “Help for the Armed Forces of Ukraine” in the My Kyivstar application.
“Superpower ‘Help for the Armed Forces’ is an opportunity for every Kyivstar subscriber to join the support of our defenders without changing their daily habits. Thanks to subscribers’ contributions, together with Come Back Alive, we were able to implement large-scale projects to support air defense and de-mining. We are grateful to everyone who joins in. Together we are building the future of Ukraine, because we live here,” commented Oleksandr Komarov, CEO of Kyivstar.
In total, Kyivstar and the Come Back Alive Foundation have launched two major projects this year. The first initiative , We Live Here: Mobile Communication Systems for Air Defense, was launched in April. As part of this project, subscribers of the national electronic communications operator raised more than UAH 20 million with the help of the Help for the Armed Forces Superpower. Another 50 million was donated by Kyivstar. The funds raised were used to purchase 10 integrated communication systems for the South Air Command.
The second project was launched in August and will continue until the target amount is reached. This is the “We Live Here 2.0” initiative for demining the country. Its goal is to raise UAH 100 million for robotic systems and equipment for sappers to save their lives. So far, more than UAH 66.3 million has been raised, including UAH 22 million thanks to subscribers who activated the charity Superpower “Help for the Armed Forces”. Kyivstar, for its part, donated UAH 30 million to the project. Another UAH 13 million was donated by concerned Ukrainians and businesses. The initiative is being implemented with the informational support of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine. The fundraising is ongoing, so everyone who cares can donate to the fund’s special account and to the project’s “bank”.
It should be noted that earlier this year, Kyivstar and Come Back Alive subscribers also joined the first collection for demining – “We live here” – and donated almost UAH 10 million with the help of the Help for the Armed Forces Superpower.
About Kyivstar
Kyivstar is Ukraine’s largest electronic communications operator, serving about 23.3 million mobile subscribers and more than 1.1 million Home Internet subscribers as of September 2024. The company provides services using a wide range of mobile and fixed technologies, including 4G, Big Data, Cloud solutions, cybersecurity services, digital TV, etc. Kyivstar is developing new telecom technologies in Ukraine and plans to invest USD 1 billion in this area in 2023-2027. THE COMPANY PLANS TO INVEST USD 1 BILLION IN THIS AREA. The company helps Ukraine overcome wartime challenges and has allocated over UAH 2 billion over the past two years to support the Armed Forces, subscribers, and social projects. Kyivstar’s shareholder is the international VEON Group. The Group’s shares are listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange (New York). Kyivstar has been operating in Ukraine for 27 years and is recognized as the largest taxpayer in the electronic communications market, the best employer and a socially responsible company. For more information: pr@kyivstar.net, www.kyivstar.ua
The Verkhovna Rada has passed a bill on multiple citizenship in the first reading, MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak said.
“The Rada supported as a basis the law No. 11469 on the introduction of multiple citizenship in Ukraine,” Zheleznyak wrote in Telegram.
According to him, the bill was supported by 247 MPs at the plenary session of the Verkhovna Rada on Tuesday.
Trypillia Packaging Plant (TPK, Ukrainka, Kyiv region), a subsidiary of the shutdown Rubizhne Cardboard and Packaging Plant in Luhansk region, increased corrugated packaging output by 16.4% in January-November 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, to 152.35 million square meters.
According to Ukrpapir Association statistics provided to Interfax-Ukraine, the mill has thus slightly slowed the growth rate of this indicator compared to the same period in 2023, which was 19-20% in the first 10 and nine months of the year.
At the same time, TPK steadily retains its second place in corrugated packaging production in Ukraine after Kyiv Cardboard and Paper Mill (208.3 million square meters).
According to the association, in November, TPK reduced its corrugated packaging production by 13% year-on-year and by 27% year-on-year to 12.1 million square meters.
In monetary terms, the TPC’s output in January-November increased by 11.4% to UAH 2 billion 494 million.
The main companies in the industry that provided data to Ukrpapir Association increased their production of cardboard boxes by 13.4% to 539.7 million square meters during this period.
Earlier it was reported that before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Rubizhne Pulp and Paper Mill, together with TPP, was the leading producer of corrugated packaging in Ukraine.
After the destruction in Rubizhne, the plant shut down, and the legal entity Rubizhne CPP was re-registered in Kyiv.
TPK produces a wide range of corrugated cardboard products for food, industrial goods, and chemicals. Among its customers are Roshen, Coca-Cola, MHP agricultural holding, and Lactalis Group.
In 2023, the plant increased its commercial output by 13.7% compared to 2022, to UAH 2 billion 480 million, while corrugated packaging production increased by 18% to 145.8 million square meters.
Slavic Wallpaper-KFTP JSC (Koryukivka, Chernihiv region), a leading Ukrainian wallpaper producer, produced 15.37 million conventional pieces of wallpaper in January-November 2024, up 2.2% compared to the same period in 2023.
According to statistics provided by UkrPapir Association to Interfax-Ukraine, the company’s output growth rate for the first 11 months of the year was almost the same as in the same period last year: it was 2.3% in the first 10 months.
In monetary terms, the factory’s production increased by 1% to UAH 1 billion 168 million in January-November.
In November, the company produced 1.32 million units of wallpaper, up 1.2% compared to November 2023, but down 9.3% compared to October this year.
The Association does not have data on wallpaper production in Ukraine in general for 11 months of 2024, as the State Statistics Service has stopped providing it.
JSC Slavic Wallpaper-KFTP produces more than 10 types of wallpaper from the economy segment (paper, duplex, acrylic) to premium wallpaper (vinyl, non-woven, hot stamped), as well as its own latex, water-dispersion paint under the Latex brand.
As reported, in 2023, Slavic Wallpapers-KFTP increased its wallpaper production by 19% compared to 2022, to 16.2 million units, production volume increased by 38.2% to UAH 1 billion 249 million, and net profit increased almost eightfold to UAH 47.7 million.
Earlier, the company noted that as a result of Russian aggression, sales volumes have significantly decreased, especially through retail channels.
In January-November 2024, the volume of commercial output of Kyiv Cardboard and Paper Mill (Kyiv KPK, Obukhiv, Kyiv region), the industry leader in Ukraine by this indicator, amounted to almost UAH 7 billion 272 million, which is 5.1% more than in the same period in 2023, according to statistics from Ukrpapir Association.
According to the statistics provided to Interfax-Ukraine, in physical terms, the plant’s production of corrugated boxes is almost the same as last year’s figure for the same period – 208.34 million square meters, which is consistently the best in the industry.
Cardboard production decreased by 6.5% to 144.21 thousand tons, including production of containerboard by 7% to 116.88 thousand tons and boxboard by 4% to 27.33 thousand tons.
Production of base paper for sanitary and hygienic products increased by 4.7% to 44 thousand tons, and production of toilet paper in rolls increased by 4.2% to 248 million units.
The plant is a stable leader in the production of toilet paper in Ukraine: in 11 months of 2024, the industry’s main enterprises produced a total of 584.8 million rolls, which is 4.5% more than in the same period in 2023.
According to the association’s data from the main industry enterprises, in January-November, Ukraine’s paper and cardboard production increased by 2.6% compared to the same period in 2023, to 549.7 thousand tons, and cardboard boxes – by 13.4%, to 539.7 million square meters.
Kyiv PDA is the parent company of the eponymous group of companies, one of the largest cardboard and paper products producers in Europe with a staff of over 2,500 people.
It has, in particular, a cardboard production facility with a capacity of 240 thousand tons per year and a corrugated packaging plant with a capacity of 355 million square meters, as well as a production facility for the production of base paper and finished products with a capacity of 70 thousand tons of base paper annually.
As reported, in 2023, the plant produced products worth UAH 7 billion 568 million, up 1.8% year-on-year.
