Ukraine and the Kingdom of Belgium have signed a Memorandum of Understanding in the field of water protection and reproduction and rational use of water resources.
According to the press service of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine on Friday, the document was signed by the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office, the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences and the Ministry of Ecology.
It is noted that by this memorandum, the Belgian side confirms its readiness to transfer the research vessel Belgica to Ukraine free of charge. The 1984 vessel is in good condition and has unique built-in equipment such as high-precision echo sounders.
“The protection of marine ecosystems is included in the ecological block of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, according to which our state must carry out regular marine monitoring in accordance with European standards. Now Ukraine is implementing the provisions of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive to gradually achieve a good environmental status of the marine environment. Thanks to the Belgian side for such assistance, which will strengthen the environmental monitoring of the Black Sea,” Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine Roman Abramovsky said.
In addition, it is reported that scientific monitoring of fish stocks, fundamental scientific research on the high seas, geological exploration of the seabed, and so on will be carried out independent of fisheries.
“The memorandum provides for the strengthening of cooperation between Ukrainian and Belgian scientists on the joint study of the Black Sea, in particular the problem of raising the level of hydrogen sulfide. At the same time, the Belgian side invites Ukrainian specialists to join research in the North Sea,” the ministry added.
They note that in the near future, with the financial support of the EU project “EU for Improving Environmental Monitoring in the Black Sea” (EU4EMBLAS), the vessel Belgica will go to Ukraine under the Ukrainian flag.
“And in the autumn, a comprehensive monitoring of our sea areas will begin on board this vessel,” the ministry said.
DYNAMICS OF BALANCE OF PAYMENTS OF UKRAINE (USD MLN)
DYNAMICS, DYNAMICS OF BALANCE, PAYMENTS, PAYMENTS OF UKRAINE
The Italian government will open entry for all types of travel for Ukrainian citizens from July 31, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said.
“Everyone asked when Italy would open. I answer that Italy has been restoring visa-free travel for Ukrainians since July 31 according to the recommendation of the EU Council. There is a nuance, five days of self-isolation upon arrival. But even self-isolation cannot spoil emotions when you are in Italy,” Kuleba said on Twitter on Friday.
According to the information on the website of the Consular Service of Ukraine, since July 31, Ukraine has been included in the list of countries of D category, which provides for the opportunity to visit the territory of the Italian Republic for any purpose, including tourism.
At the same time, those wishing to visit Italy should take into account the mandatory requirements: the presence of a certificate of a negative result of molecular or rapid testing for COVID-19, which must be done at least 72 hours before arrival; fill out the online Passenger Locator Form on the website: https://app.euplf.eu/; upon arrival in Italy, citizens must self-isolate for five days, after which they must retest for COVID-19, which must confirm a negative result.
These conditions will be valid until August 30, 2021.
National bank of Ukraine’s official rates as of 30/07/21
Source: National Bank of Ukraine
Official rates of banking metals from national bank as of July 30
One troy ounce=31.10 grams
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) in the updated Inflation Report published on the website again worsened the estimate of the growth of Ukraine’s gross domestic product (GDP) in the second quarter of 2021 (hereinafter compared to the same period in 2020), to 7.5% from 8.7% in April and from 11.3% in the January report.
The negative impact of last year’s low harvest on exports, the food industry and agriculture (in particular, livestock farming due to a decrease in profitability as a result of higher prices for feed) remained. The negative conditions influenced agriculture and a later start of the harvesting (one week later), the National Bank said, explaining the deterioration of the assessment.
The NBU also revised its forecast for GDP dynamics in the second half of this year. If in April he expected economic growth in the third and fourth quarters, respectively, by 4.2% and 3.6%, now – by 3.6% and 5.8%.
“The key risks to the macroeconomic forecast are the imposition of stricter quarantine measures in Ukraine and globally, and a longer and more pronounced than expected surge in global inflation,” the National Bank said.
As reported, in general, the NBU confirmed the forecast for GDP growth for 2021 at 3.8% and for 2022-2023 at 4%.
According to the report, the central bank expects the economy to expand by 6.7% in the first and second quarters of next year, slowing to 2.8% in the third and to 1% in the fourth quarters.
