The European Investment Bank (EIB) is considering providing EUR 400 million in financing for a pilot project to build social housing in Ukraine, the press service of the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting (IER) reports.
“Negotiations are currently underway to provide EUR 400 million in funding, which will consist of a grant and a loan for the construction of public housing. This should be housing in normally built-up parts of the city, with access to technical and social infrastructure,” said Grzegorz Gajda, Senior Sector Economist at the EIB, as quoted in the press release.
He noted that the housing should be built using the best European practices, in accordance with energy-efficient standards and the principle of build-back-better.
The project envisages the construction of about 6-6.5 thousand apartments. The EIB will select areas for social housing construction based on the needs of the regions and their interest in cooperation.
Along with this, the conditions for renting housing are being discussed. In particular, it is proposed to allocate social housing to employed Ukrainians with a salary not lower than the average, as well as to give local authorities the opportunity to transfer 20-30% of apartments for rent to people selected according to their own criteria, taking into account the professionals needed in the region.
According to the expert, the project also envisages finding opportunities for the social housing sector to independently finance its operations and maintenance to avoid the need for state funding for housing maintenance.
As the IER points out, at the beginning of 2022, there were only 3 thousand social apartments in Ukraine, while the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) at the end of the year amounted to more than 5 million people. According to the International Organization for Migration, there are about 3.6 million internally displaced persons in Ukraine as of October 2024.
As of December 27, Ukraine exported 21.256 mln tonnes of grains and pulses since the beginning of the 2024-2025 marketing year (July-2024 – June-2025), of which 2.882 mln tonnes have been shipped since the beginning of the current month, the press service of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food reported, citing the State Customs Service.
According to the report, as of the same date last year, the total shipments amounted to 17.484 million tons, including 4.387 million tons in December.
In particular, since the beginning of the current season, Ukraine has exported 9.613 mln tonnes of wheat (7.255 mln tonnes in 2023/24 MY), 1.968 mln tonnes of barley (991 thsd tonnes), 10.8 thsd tonnes of rye (1 thsd tonnes), and 9.351 mln tonnes of corn (9.097 mln tonnes).
The total exports of Ukrainian flour since the beginning of the season as of December 27 are estimated at 37 thsd tonnes (in 2023/24 MY – 57 thsd tonnes), including 33.9 thsd tonnes of wheat (54.2 thsd tonnes).
In January-November 2024, Ukraine increased imports of tin and tin products by 17.8% to $2.850 million. Exports of tin during this period increased almost fivefold to $389 thousand, compared to $79 thousand in the same period in 2023. In November, tin imports amounted to $203 thousand, while exports amounted to $40 thousand.
Tin is used mainly as a safe, non-toxic, corrosion-resistant coating in its pure form or in alloys with other metals. The main industrial uses of tin are in white tinplate (tinned iron) for food containers, in solders for electronics, in house pipelines, in bearing alloys, and in coatings made of tin and its alloys. The most important tin alloy is bronze (with copper).
The team of Astarta Agro Holding, the largest sugar producer in Ukraine, has successfully conducted a review audit to confirm the effectiveness of actions required to support the UN World Food Program (WFP), the press service of the agricultural holding reported on Facebook.
According to the report, WFP representatives confirmed the safety of the products supplied by the holding under various humanitarian programs after an on-site audit at one of the company’s sugar factories this fall.
“Astarta has been successfully cooperating with the UN World Food Program since the beginning of 2022. During this time, we have supplied about 18 thousand tons of products for humanitarian missions in Ukraine. Thanks to the involvement of new reliable small and medium-sized business producers in Ukraine – members of the holding’s agro-industrial ecosystem – Astarta has increased the volume and range of products that meet the needs of humanitarian aid, and in addition to sugar, it has become possible to supply canned beans and oatmeal,” the agricultural holding said.
“Astarta assured that it will maintain the volume and pace of current deliveries and expand cooperation with other Ukrainian producers in the framework of cooperation with WFP to provide food to people in emergencies, as well as work to improve the quality of food for its supply to vulnerable populations both in Ukraine and abroad.
“Astarta is a vertically integrated agro-industrial holding company operating in eight regions of Ukraine. It includes six sugar factories, agricultural enterprises with a land bank of 220 thousand hectares and dairy farms with 22 thousand cattle, an oil extraction plant in Globyno (Poltava region), seven elevators and a biogas complex.
In 2023, the agricultural holding reduced its net profit by 5.0% to EUR 61.9 million, and its EBITDA decreased by 6.1% to EUR 145.77 million, while revenue increased by 21.3% to EUR 618.93 million.
In January-November 2024, Ukraine increased imports of nickel and nickel products by 64.8% to $23.672 million. Nickel exports during this period amounted to only $585 thousand, which is 15% more than in the same period last year.
Nickel is used to make stainless steel and for nickel plating. Nickel is also used in the production of batteries, in powder metallurgy and in chemicals.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced talks with President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic, during which the parties discussed issues of cooperation between the two countries.
“I spoke with the President of Serbia, thanked Aleksandar for supporting our country and our people. We discussed our cooperation – bilateral and also with other partners,” Zelenskyy said in a Thursday evening video address.
He noted that he greatly appreciates the Ukrainian-Serbian dialogue. “Maximum constructive relations for Ukraine and joint security with partners,” the Ukrainian president added.
