KYIV. May 26 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) has stated the liberalization of forex regulations is possible within further decisions to weaken monetary policy, NBU Acting Head Yakiv Smoliy has said.
“The NBU board considers it possible to weaken monetary policy not only by reducing the refinancing rate, but also by liberalizing currency regulation,” he said during a press briefing in Kyiv.
According to the banker, these decisions will primarily concern the increase in the timing for returning foreign exchange earnings to the country to 180 days from 120 days. The NBU also intends to provide investors with the opportunity to return funds invested in Ukraine.
“Until now it has been forbidden to buy and transfer foreign currency for the return abroad of funds received by foreign investors from the sale of corporate rights, reduction of charter capital, and withdrawal from societies. We plan to allow such operations,” Smoliy said.
At the same time, to prevent withdrawal of capital from Ukraine through shadow schemes, the NBU will make sure these operations comply with conditions.
KYIV. May 25 (Interfax-Ukraine) – ENTSO-E (the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity) has agreed the final version of the agreement on the joining of Ukrainian and Moldovan energy systems to the continental network of Europe.
According to the press service of Ukrenergo, the decision was made in Lisbon (Portugal) on May 23. The agreement is to be signed in June 2017.
“The signing of the agreement in June 2017 should be the starting point for the beginning of integration of the united energy system of Ukraine to the European Union,” the report reads.
The press service said synchronization with ENTSO-E will enhance the reliability of the united energy system of Ukraine and, in particular, reduce the dependence on stability of coal supplies to power stations. Ukraine will also be able to receive technological assistance from the neighboring energy systems.
Simultaneous work with ENTSO-E will allow increasing exports of electricity to Europe, which will automatically improve the investment attractiveness of the country’s energy sector. In particular, exports could increase from the current 5 billion kWh to 18-20 billion kWh with additional revenues of up to $1.5 billion. At the same time, Ukrainian hydropower plants will be able to take part in balancing peak loads of adjacent power systems of European countries.
KYIV. May 25 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The State Property Fund (SPF) has called a tender in the form of an auction to sell 99.912% of PrJSC Mykolaiv co-generation plant at a starting price of UAH 97 million.
The tender will be held on July 12, it will start at 11:00 local time, the SPF said on Wednesday. The deadline for bids is 18:00 local time on June 26, 2017.
The tender guarantee for a bidder is either a cash contribution or a bank guarantee to the tune of UAH 4.85 million.
As reported, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the terms of the sale of Mykolaiv co-generation plant with a starting price of UAH 97 million on May 11, 2017.
The plant’s installed capacity is 40 MW and that of heat is 410 Gcal per hour. It serves about 39,400 households in the city of Mykolaiv. It consumes gas fuel. The number of employees is 491 people.
KYIV. May 25 (Interfax-Ukraine) – China has vetted Ukrainian frozen beef exports, Ukraine’s State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Protection reported on May 22.
The Ukrainian agency and the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People’s Republic of China (AQSIQ) signed a protocol of inspection, quarantine, veterinary and sanitary requirements for the export of frozen beef from Ukraine to China.
The Ukrainian regulator says that Ukrainian frozen beef was granted access to the Chinese market after a mission of the Chinese competent authority that assessed Ukrainian food safety control of beef production. The mission visited Ukraine late in April.
In addition, the State Food Safety and Consumer Protection Service and AQSIQ representatives are now engaged in approval of phytosanitary and inspection requirements for the export of some Ukrainian agrarian products to China. In particular, these are sunflower meal, beet pulp, dairy foods, poultry meat, eggs, honey, and others.
KYIV. May 24 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine ranked 44th in the Open Data Barometer ranking, having climbed 18 positions up compared to last year’s results, Deputy Head of the State Agency for e-Governance Oleksiy Vyskub has said.
“Ukraine has climbed 18 positions in the world open data ranking: from 62 to 44, having taken the most positive ‘leap’ in the rating together with Georgia,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
The ranking features 115 countries.
Ukraine shared its 44th position and the result of 36 points with Estonia. Georgia, Bulgaria, Jamaica, and Turkey ranked 40th. South Africa and Poland took the 46th position.
The leaders of the ranking were the United Kingdom, Canada, France, and the United States, which ranked first, second, third and fourth respectively.
Swaziland and Yemen are the bottom of the ranking.
As reported, Ukraine in early May took the 24th position in the open data development rankings, according to the results of the Global Open Data Index research, having climbed by 30 positions from the previous year.
KYIV. May 24 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The Ukrainian nation’s coffers have saved UAH 24 billion, a little more than $900 million, since the launch of the ProZorro e-procurement system, Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has said.
“Today we can say the [ProZorro] system is not only competitive and transparent, it saves money for the national budget. According to our estimates, savings of budget funds – the money owned by the state, the Ukrainian people – have amounted to UAH 24 billion since its launch,” he said at the 13th Procurement, Integrity, Management and Openness (PRIMO) Forum in Kyiv on Tuesday.
Procurements worth UAH 700 billion, or $26.6 billion, have been handled via the system recently, he said.
Groysman also said that the Cabinet of Ministers and the State Property Fund of Ukraine had agreed about the possibility of using the ProZorro system for competitive sales of state-owned assets in future.
Public procurements in Ukraine switched over to the ProZorro e-system from August 1, 2016.
