The European Commission (EC) put forward on Friday a proposal for the recommendation of the EU Council on the conversion of hryvnia banknotes into the currency of the member states hosting Ukrainian refugees. “This proposal complements the humanitarian assistance provided by the EU to those who flee Ukraine, in particular when they move through the territory of the union, and it is fully consistent with EU law on asylum and foreign policy,” the EC communique published in Brussels reads. The document says that since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, more than 3.8 million people have arrived in the European Union fleeing the fighting. One of the urgent needs of refugees is the conversion of their hryvnia banknotes into the currency of the host country. “Today’s proposal aims to promote a coordinated approach for all Member States to offer those fleeing Ukraine the same conditions for converting their hryvnia banknotes into local currency, regardless of the Member State they are in,” the statement said. European Commission. Brussels explains that this approach was necessary due to the fact that the National Bank of Ukraine was forced to suspend the exchange of hryvnia banknotes for foreign cash in order to protect Ukraine’s limited foreign exchange reserves. As a consequence, credit institutions in the EU Member States are reluctant to make the exchange due to the limited convertibility of hryvnia banknotes. Some EU Member States are considering introducing national schemes that support the conversion of a limited amount of hryvnia per person, and the aim of the Commission, as the communiqué suggests, is to consistently promote such schemes. These schemes should include a maximum limit of UAH 10,000 per person, and the duration of such schemes should be at least three months.
SPAR International and SPAR organizations in Europe are helping to solve the issue of employment for Ukrainians who had to move to European countries due to the war, according to a company release.
The company is currently accepting applications (temporary and long-term) from displaced Ukrainian citizens in the 17 EU countries where SPAR operates.
The applications consolidate information about the places of residence of internally displaced persons, the level of language proficiency and professional skills. As reported in the release, SPAR pan-European HR directors are united in an international working group to coordinate applications and place retail specialists from Ukraine in their network.
Founded in the Netherlands in 1932, SPAR International Grocery Store operates over 13,000 retail outlets in 52 countries. Since 2017, the network has been developed in Ukraine by the investment group VolWest Group (Lutsk). The network has 68 stores.
Turkey is ready to provide ships to organize the evacuation of civilians and the wounded from Mariupol by sea, Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Saturday, Anadolu Agency reported.
“Ankara’s readiness to support the evacuation process was brought to the attention of the Russian military attaché in Turkey, who was invited to our defense department. A similar initiative was transferred to Russian authorities and through the Turkish military attaché in Moscow. We are also coordinating our efforts with Ukrainian authorities through the military attaché in this country,” Akar said.
Akar also noted that Turkey continues to supply humanitarian aid to the Ukrainian people.
The Turkish minister announced active contacts with the Russian Federation and Ukraine and on the issue of the safe exit of Turkish ships from Ukrainian ports.
Regarding the mine threat in the Black Sea, the minister noted that at the moment there are no problems for shipping.
“The main priority for us is the continuation of the negotiation process. The actions taken by Turkey are highly appreciated. The results of the negotiations will be analyzed. Italy is ready to act as a guarantor of Ukraine’s neutral status,” the Italian minister told reporters in Baku on Saturday.
Di Maio also noted that as a result of the sanctions against Russia, the question arose of accelerating the expansion of the energy sector. “In this context, Italy pays special attention to the development of cooperation with reliable partners with great potential, including Azerbaijan,” the Foreign Minister said.
In addition, he said that “Italy, within the framework of the energy security plan drawn up, is aimed at moving away from the Russian market.” “To this end, Rome intends to intensify work in the direction of the Mediterranean region,” the Italian Foreign Minister added.
Ukrainian athletes won two “gold” and one “bronze” medal at the European Wrestling Championship in Budapest.
“Today, Ukrainian women received two ‘gold’ and one ‘bronze’ at the European Wrestling Championship. Alina Hrushina-Akobia in the 55 kg weight category and Tetiana Rizhko (65 kg) won gold awards as part of the women’s national team of Ukraine. Ilona Prokopeniuk (62 kg) won the bronze medal,” the press service of the Ministry of Youth and Sports said in a statement.
It is noted that in total Ukrainian women received five awards of the European Championship: two “gold”, one “silver”, and two “bronze”.
The Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) is in a “critical” position with food and fuel as the Russia-Ukraine war continues to unfold, World Bank Managing Director of Development Policy and Partnerships Mari Pangestu told Al Arabiya TV channel.
“Our forecast team has been estimating that if we see high food and fuel prices last for six months to a year,” she said, “it could negatively impact growth.”
In the global context, “availability and affordability” of food is the UN-backed organization’s concern, according to Pangestu. However, she said that unlike the global food crisis in 2008, the World Bank official clarified that “we actually don’t have a shortage of production.”
“There’s sufficient production of… wheat, rice or other grain products,” she said.
She also said that the food issue goes beyond the Ukraine war.
“Food security and price drops are something that’s not going to go away even after we have resolved the current situation,” Pangestu said.
Earlier this week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Medi 1 that Russia’s war in Ukraine is affecting food supplies and energy prices around the world.
