Share of new buildings, in which construction was resumed, by regions of Ukraine
Source: Open4Business.com.ua and experts.news
European stock indexes are moving in different directions on Friday after the release of the British, German and euro zone statistics as well as the publication of the quarterly results of some companies.
The Stoxx Europe 600 composite index of the region’s biggest companies gained 0.1% to 467.97 points as of 12:35 p.m. ET.
France’s CAC 40 rose 0.2% during the session, Britain’s FTSE 100 gained 0.4% and Italy’s FTSE MIB gained 0.2%. Germany’s DAX and Spain’s IBEX 35 lost 0.2%.
The U.K. Consumer Sentiment Index rose to a fourteen-month high in April (since February 2022) to minus 30 points from minus 36 points in March, according to data from GfK NOP Ltd. Analysts polled by Trading Economics had on average predicted an increase to just minus 35 points.
Meanwhile, retail sales in the country last month fell 0.9% from February, official statistics showed. Analysts on average expected a less significant decline of 0.5%.
In turn, the composite Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) in the euro area in April reached the highest since May 2022. According to preliminary data, this month it was 54.4 points against 53.7 points in March, as expected by the market. In Germany the index rose to 53.9 points from 52.6 points in the previous month, expected 52.7 points.
Thanks to higher prices and strong demand, German automaker Mercedes-Benz posted an adjusted sales margin of 14.8% in the first quarter, above the consensus forecast. Its shares are up 1.4 percent.
Porsche and Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, another German carmaker, are up 0.3% and 0.1%, respectively.
The capitalization of the German SAP SE increases by 0.1%. The world’s largest maker of business management software increased revenue by 10% in the first quarter.
Despite the decline in oil prices, oil companies’ securities rose in price, including TotalEnergies – by 0.6%, BP Plc (SPB: BP) – by 0.1% and Shell – by 0.5%.
Swiss construction materials maker Holcim Ltd. raised its forecast for organic net sales growth in 2023 to more than 6% from 3-5%, but its shares are down 1%.
Tele2 AB stock quotes are losing 2.3%. The Swedish telecoms company cut its net profit to 850 million kronor ($82.4 million) from 2.47 billion kronor a year earlier, worse than the consensus forecast.
Italian luxury clothing and accessories maker Salvatore Ferragamo cut its revenues 6.5% to €277.95 million in January-March. The company’s capitalization decreased by 4.8%.
Ukraine needs to simplify the bureaucracy in the work and accounting of charitable foundations and volunteers, said Artem Honcharenko, president of the Reconstruction and Development of Ukraine Foundation, a volunteer.
“I am in favor of simplifying the procedure for transferring charitable aid to recipients, simplifying the bureaucracy in the work of charitable foundations and volunteers. I know from my own experience how much time is spent on paperwork and bureaucracy. For example, a person who is at “zero” on the frontline has to write us an application, according to which we have to collect everything and give him or her a certificate to sign that he or she has received our help. I have an example when a person for whom we were collecting aid died while we were filling out all the paperwork,” he said during a roundtable discussion at the Interfax-Ukraine news agency on Thursday.
Goncharenko noted that one way to simplify the processing of aid provided by charities and volunteers is to fill out and submit documents online.
“We need to simplify the procedure. I am speaking here on behalf of all the foundations, I think they support me in this: we need to simplify this system or allow us to fill it out online. Then people will be able to fill it out, and we will be able to ship them the aid,” he said.
Honcharenko also emphasized the need to regulate the issue of VAT taxation of goods purchased and delivered by charitable foundations and volunteers.
“We need to remove VAT from these goods. When we imported the first mobile hospital, it cost EUR 230 thousand, and the VAT amounted to another EUR 50 thousand,” he said.
In his turn, Serhiy Petkov, Doctor of Law, military officer, emphasized the need to use online tools in the process of receiving social assistance and payments, in particular for veterans and military personnel.
At the same time, he noted that in Ukraine, “for some reason, issues are resolved at the level of bylaws, and this should not be the case in a democratic state governed by the rule of law, legislation should be codified.”
“All these bylaws, various resolutions, instructions, letters, explanations, etc. should become a thing of the past, we need to move away from manual control and move to a normal democratic legal life so that everything happens in accordance with the law,” he said.
For his part, Doctor of Law, professor, volunteer Ihor Kopotun noted that there is no need to develop a separate regulatory framework for social protection of military personnel and veterans.
“I think we don’t need to invent anything. Today, the social protection of servicemen or any person must meet the requirements of the current legislation, the social protection provided by the laws. Everyone should be equal before the law, and the laws that have already been adopted today should be implemented,” he said.
bureaucracy, CHARITY, GONCHARENKO, mobile hospital, OPINION, Petkov, VOLUNTEERS, Копотун
The Motor (Transport) Insurance Bureau of Ukraine (MTSBU) raised tariffs on Green Card policies for traveling abroad by 3.15% starting April 21, its website says.
According to the MLSA, the last change of tariffs was on December 30, 2022, in the direction of increasing by 3.1%, before that they were also increased on November 17 by 6.9% after a decrease by 5.5% on October 3, before that, on July 26 of the same year, they were increased by almost a quarter (by 26.3%).
Green Card policies have been implemented since 2009 in two types: all Europe and Moldova. Also, since January 1, 2016, Ukrainian “Green Card” policies began to operate in the territory of Azerbaijan.
Thus, according to the MTSBU, the cost of “Green Card” in Ukraine for 15 days to travel in Europe for cars rises to UAH 982 (from UAH 952 previously), for buses – up to UAH 3.691 thousand (UAH 3.578 thousand), for trucks – up to UAH 2.317 thousand (UAH 2.246 thousand).
The cost of Green Card for one month for cars is now UAH 1.564 thousand (vs. UAH 1.516 thousand before), for buses – UAH 5.126 thousand (UAH 4.970 thousand), for trucks – UAH 3.075 thousand (UAH 2.982 thousand).
Semi-annual and annual Green Card policies for cars will now cost UAH 6.942 thousand and UAH 8.594 thousand respectively, for trucks – UAH 14.559 thousand and UAH 27.480 thousand, for buses – UAH 17.942 thousand and UAH 33.322 thousand.
Policies for trips to Azerbaijan and Moldova for passenger cars for 15 days will cost UAH 715 (UAH 694 previously), for one month – UAH 1.052 thousand (UAH 1.020 thousand), for six months – UAH 2.413 thousand (UAH 2.340 thousand), for a year – UAH 3.436 thousand (UAH 3.331 thousand).
The amounts of single insurance payments under the contracts of international compulsory insurance of civil liability of motor vehicles owners are set by the Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers as of January 6, 2005 and are defined in EUR.
“Green Card” is a system of insurance protection for victims of road accidents, regardless of their country of residence and country of registration of the vehicle. It covers the territory of 44 countries in Europe, Asia and Africa.
According to the decision of the General Assembly of the Bureau Council of the international motor insurance system “Green Card”, adopted in Luxembourg in May 2004, Ukraine since January 1, 2005 is a full member of the system.
Nova Posta group of companies has suspended acceptance of food products for shipment to all EU countries due to import restrictions imposed by the Polish customs, the company’s press service said.
“We are waiting for further clarification from the governments of Poland and Ukraine to clarify the possible terms of resumption of such shipments,” the statement said.
All branches of “Novaya Posta” temporarily do not accept any products in international parcels that are sent to the EU, due to the introduction of temporary restrictions on the import and transit of a number of food products from Ukraine – sugar, cereals, confectionery, fruits, vegetables and others.
Founded in 2001 Nova Posta is the leader of express-delivery market in Ukraine. Its network consists of more than 6 000 offices all over the country. The group “Nova Posta” provides customers with a full range of logistics and related services. The group consists of Ukrainian and foreign companies, including Nova Posta, NP Logistic, Post Finance (Forpost system) and Nova Posta Global.
A reminder that Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Bulgaria imposed a ban on a number of agricultural products from Ukraine, but did not ban their transit through their territory.
Motor transport provides third of passenger flow through western border of Ukraine in Jan 2023, thousand (graphically)
Source: Open4Business.com.ua and experts.news
