The area of newly completed housing in Ukraine in January-June 2021 grew by 29.5% compared to the same period in 2020, to 4.797 million square meters, the State Statistics Service has reported.
At the same time, the data are given taking into account the housing that went live in accordance with the temporary procedure for allowing houses built without permission to perform construction work go live.
According to the report, since the beginning of the year, 3.283 million square meters have joined the market in cities (68.4% of the total), and 1.514 million square meters in rural areas. At the same time, 41.8% of the total volume of housing was single-family houses, 57.8% were houses with two or more apartments, and 0.4% was dormitories.
In general, during the reporting period, 62,300 new apartments were competed: 47,600 apartments in urban areas and 14,600 apartments in rural areas.
The average apartment area was 76.6 square meter, while in single-family houses it was 157.1 square meters, in multi-apartment buildings it was 55.9 square meters.
In Kyiv city, Lviv, Kharkiv, Odesa and Ivano-Frankovsk regions, according to the results of the first quarter, 54.6% of the total housing volume went live. Moreover, in Kyiv city it was 512,700 square meters (10.7%).
According to statistics, a decrease in the area of newly completed housing was recorded in Zaporizhia, Ivano-Frankivsk and Luhansk regions.
Ukrainian insurance companies in January-June 2021 collected net premiums in the amount of UAH 23.480 billion, which is 25.6% more than in the same period of 2020 (UAH 18.688 billion), according to the website of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU).
According to the regulator, the volume of gross insurance premiums collected by insurers over the specified period amounted to UAH 24.780 billion, which is 17.9% more than in the first half of 2020 (UAH 21.008 billion). Including premiums received from individuals amounted to UAH 12.944 billion (a rise of 35%), from reinsurers – UAH 1.646 billion (8.9% less).
In the six months ending June 2021, insurers paid out UAH 8.552 billion of net insurance payments, which is 28.8% more than in the first half of the year earlier (UAH 6.642 billion). The level of net payments grew from 35.5% to 36.4%.
Gross insurance payments rose by 27.3%, to UAH 8.703 billion. The level of gross payments increased from 32.5% to 35.1%. Of the total volume of gross payments, payments to individuals amounted to UAH 4.235 billion (a rise of 35.3%), to reinsurers – UAH 136.6 million (42.5% less).
The volume of insurance payments belonging to reinsurers, according to the results of the first half of the year, amounted to UAH 4.661 billion, which is 11.2% more than in the same period a year earlier, including UAH 2.729 billion to nonresident reinsures (a rise of 41.1%).
As of June 30, 2021, the assets of Ukrainian insurers on the balance sheet amounted to UAH 65.186 billion, while on the same date a year earlier – UAH 61.888 billion. The volume of assets determined by legislation to represent insurance reserves decreased by 17.3% to UAH 45.995 billion.
The regulator also said that in the first half of the year, the volume of formed insurance reserves grew by 11.7%, to UAH 35.031 billion. The volume of paid charter capital fell by 6.6%, to UAH 8.966 billion.
In the reporting period, 63.170 million insurance contracts were concluded (a rise of 9.1%).
According to the NBU, the total number of insurance companies in Ukraine as of June 30, 2021 was 181, while on the same date a year earlier it was 215, including 19 (20) life insurers. At the same time, 166 insurance companies submitted reports on their activities to the regulator.
Ukrainian athletes at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo won five gold, four silver and three bronze medals on the fourth day of the competition, the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine said on Facebook.
Thus, swimmers brought gold medals to the national team’s piggy bank, Yevhen Bohodaiko took first place in breaststroke swimming at a distance of 100 meters (class SB6), Maksym Kripak in a freestyle swim at 100 meters (class S10), Mykhailo Serbin at a distance of 100 meters at back (class S11), Denys Dubrov at a distance of 200 meters in complex (class SM8). The Ukrainian athlete Yelyzaveta Mereshko won the breaststroke swimming at a distance of 100 meters (class SB5).
At the end of the fourth day of the competition, Ukraine is in fifth place in the overall standings with 8 gold, 17 silver and 9 bronze medals.
Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal and Prime Minister of Moldova Natalia Gavrilitsa signed an intergovernmental protocol on amendments to the Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
According to the Ukrainian government’s press service, the amendments to the Free Trade Agreement stipulate that the pan-Euro-Mediterranean rules of origin of goods should be applied in trade between Ukraine and Moldova.
“The transition to these rules of origin of goods unites the Ukrainian and Moldovan Association Agreements with the EU into one system. We made such a step with Georgia a year ago. Now we are uniting the trade regimes of all the states of the Associated Trio among ourselves and with the EU,” the prime minister said.
The head of the Ukrainian government said the pan-Euro-Mediterranean cumulation system allows trading in goods that are produced from components that can originate from all countries in this system.
“This protocol is another step towards the withdrawal of the Associated Trio countries from the trade relations of the CIS and the transition to an EU-centered economy,” Shmyhal said.
In turn, the Prime Minister of Moldova said the Protocol confirms the readiness to promote trade relations between the two countries, in particular on the path of European integration.
Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina has become the winner of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) tournament in Chicago, winning her first title in the 2021 season, the Ukrainian Tennis Federation reported on Facebook.
“Elina Svitolina has won the first title in the 2021 season! In the final of the tournament in Chicago, she beat Alizé Cornet with the score of 7:5 and 6:4,” it says.
According to the Women’s Tennis Association on Facebook, this is the athlete’s 16th WTA title.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine at a meeting on August 26 approved an order On signing an Agreement between the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Government of the Republic of Mauritius on the mutual abolition of visa requirements,” the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine reports.
“We work to further expand freedom of travel for Ukrainians,” Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said.
It is reported that the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers is the first step towards the introduction of a visa-free regime. In the future, Ukraine and Mauritius must sign an agreement and carry out a number of domestic procedures.
The draft Agreement provides for the introduction of a visa-free regime for mutual trips of citizens of Ukraine and the Republic of Mauritius for up to 90 days within 180 days.
“The conclusion of a visa-free visa will allow to intensify interpersonal contacts and further develop partnerships with the Republic of Mauritius. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to work systematically to expand freedom of travel for Ukrainians, which is an important element of Ukraine’s foreign policy strategy,” the ministry said.
