NEFCO (Nordic Environment Finance Corporation) has 117 projects in Ukraine for an estimated amount of EUR 180 million, on which agreements have been signed and which are under implementation.
“As of June 7, NEFCO has 117 projects, on which agreements have been signed and which are under implementation in Ukraine, and the total investment in these projects is approximately EUR 180 million,” the corporation said in response to Interfax-Ukraine’s request.
Of these projects, agreements for seven new projects were signed in 2021. The total amount of investments for them is about EUR 4 million.
In addition to them, many other projects are in development and at the preparatory stage, the corporation said.
At the same time, NEFCO said that, having decided to abandon investments in new projects in the renewable energy sector in 2020, the organization, to support the sustainable development of Ukraine, will continue developing and financing municipal projects in such sectors as energy efficiency, district heating and wastewater treatment.
“Special attention is paid to small and medium-sized projects, as well as those that are examples of how to respond to technological advances. Financing projects in the municipal sector in Eastern Europe is one of the three main directions of NEFCO’s strategy for the next five years,” the corporation said.
At the same time, NEFCO also drew attention to the fact that the decision to stop financing projects in the renewable energy sector “is based solely on the fact that agreements on feed-in tariffs are not being implemented.”
At the same time, they called the initiative to introduce an excise tax on electricity from renewable energy sources as erroneous, pointing out that in fact clean energy should be subsidized, and fossil resources should be taxed with CO2 emission tax.
DYNAMICS OF CHANGES IN DISCOUNT RATE OF NBU
Ukrainian metallurgical enterprises are expected to increase steel production by 5% by the end of 2021 compared to 2020, to 21.723 million tonnes.
As reported in the background documents of the Ministry of Economy, which are at disposal of Interfax-Ukraine, production of general rolled products will also increase by 5%, to 19.394 million tonnes, as well as cast iron – by 5%, to 21.521 million tonnes.
The forecast is based on production indicators for January-May of this year, summarized by the Ukrmetalurgprom association, the ministry said.
At the same time, the source of the agency said that if the existing trends continue, the supply of scrap metal to metallurgical enterprises in 2021 will increase by 13%, to 3.280 million tonnes.
Output of pipes in 2021 may increase by 9%, to 931,000 tonnes, coke – by 3%, to 9.928 million tonnes, and refractories – by 7%, to 235,000 tonnes.
Head of the State Agency for Tourism Development Maryana Oleskiv has said that it is very safe for tourists in Ukraine, but there may be low tolerance to cultural specifics.
“I think that Ukrainians are really very tolerant, but there are different people. This is not about danger. It is very safe for tourists in Ukraine. Here we are talking about a possible certain low tolerance to cultural specifics, which can leave an unpleasant impression about the country,” Oleskiv said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
Also, according to her, there are stories of overpricing in the service sector.
“We need to convey the following to people: that when a foreign tourist comes to them, they can earn $100, or they can inflate the price and earn $200. But then this tourist will not return to you, and ten more people will not come on his recommendation, who could spend another $100. When you come to the country, everything around is delicious and people are hospitable, you feel that there is a positive attitude towards you, you want to return. But when you feel that they want to cheat you everywhere, you do not want to come there again and tell everyone about it,” she said.
In addition, Oleskiv announced that this week she would meet with members the Ministry of Infrastructure to develop a systematic solution to the problem of illegal taxis near airports and train stations.
“Now the question arises who should control this situation, either the State Service of Ukraine for Transport Safety or the National Police. Therefore, clear control mechanisms need to be worked out so that illegal taxis are not able to work in these zones. This is a matter of the country’s image, therefore, taxi operations should be transparent, convenient, understandable for foreigners, safe, with a high level of service,” the head of the agency said
The Cabinet of Ministers has proposed to the Verkhovna Rada to reduce the ceiling cost of duty-free import of goods into Ukraine in hand luggage or accompanying baggage from EUR 1,000 to EUR 430 – for checkpoints at airports and seaports, as well as at the level of EUR 300 instead of EUR 500 – through other checkpoints.
In addition, the bill increases the period during which goods in connection with resettlement to a permanent place of residence in Ukraine are imported without customs duties to one year instead of current six months.
At the same time, the government bill proposes to exempt from taxation the import into the territory of Ukraine of fixed assets of companies that move their activities to Ukraine with the creation of a new enterprise.
In addition, the bill proposes to exempt from duties scientific equipment, devices, as well as other items of research activities not related to entrepreneurship.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in its June report has improved the projections for the export of Ukrainian sunflower oil in 2021/22 marketing year (September-August) by 1.02 million tonnes (a rise of 18.9% compared to 2020/21), to 6.4 million tonnes, its production – by 1.05 million tonnes (a rise of 17.7%), to 6.98 million tonnes.
According to a report published on the USDA website, the projection for sunflowerseed production in Ukraine in the current marketing year has been improved by 2.6 million tonnes (a rise of 18.5%), to 16.7 million tonnes.
In its June report, the USDA improved its forecast for Ukraine’s exports of sunflowerseed meal in 2021/22 by 0.7 million tonnes (a rise of 15.2% versus 2020/21), to 5.3 million tonnes, its production – by 1.01 million tonnes (a rise of 17.7%), to 6.71 million tonnes.
According to the USDA, Ukraine in 2021/22 will remain the main world exporter of sun sunflowerseed flower oil, while world production of sunflowerseed oil will grow by 10.2%, to 21.15 million tonnes.
