Employee health and mental well-being, as well as attracting and retaining top talent, have risen from third to second and from sixth to fourth place in the list of key challenges facing companies over the past six months, according to a survey of its members by the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Ukraine.
According to the survey, 70% of respondents mentioned health and psychological issues, up from 65% six months ago, and 56% of top employees, up from 43%.
Employee safety and security remains a key challenge, but its “rating” has dropped from 91% to 85%, while Russia’s missile attacks on critical infrastructure and business assets have dropped from 66% to 61%, moving it to third place.
The challenge of economic and consumer recession has also dropped to fifth from fourth, but 54% of respondents mentioned it, compared to 45% six months ago.
While in early fall, the top five expected problems were access to electricity, water and heat supply, and mobile communications with a 44% share, now it is not even among the top 11.
At the same time, logistics and transportation problems have become a concern for 43% of respondents, up from 30% six months ago, regulatory challenges – 39% instead of 23%, and pressure on business from government agencies – 28% instead of 23%.
Among the top three priority steps that businesses would like to see the government take, the top three are real and effective judicial reform (22%), ensuring a clear and transparent booking procedure (22%), and strengthening national security and defense and de-mining of Ukraine (21%).
Less frequently, company representatives chose to ensure predictability and stability of tax legislation (14%), protect supply chains by addressing the situation with border logistics and maritime transportation (7%), ease currency restrictions on repatriation of dividends and/or payment of interest on foreign loans (6%), and expand insurance coverage of political risks (3%).
According to the survey, 86% of companies are fully operational, 12% of the surveyed companies continue to operate partially, and 2% do not operate at all, while 84% were fully operational six months ago.
58% of all respondents had no damage to their property during the two years of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, 7% had their assets occupied, and 30% had their companies’ plants/factories/ facilities/warehouses/offices damaged: 75% of them have minor damage, 25% have irreparable damage.
According to the survey, 84% of AmCham member companies in Ukraine have employees in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In 31% of companies, employees were wounded, 29% were killed in action, and 2% were missing.
“Despite the difficulties, the business community, inspired by brave defenders, continues to work and believe in Ukraine, supporting the economy, paying taxes and creating jobs for Ukrainians. 86% of member companies are fully operational after two years of full-scale war in Russia. Security and judicial reform are the highest priorities for business,” commented AmCham President Andy Hunder.
The survey, conducted from February 12-22, 2024, involved 125 CEOs and top managers of AmCham member companies.
The Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP has been on one power line since the backup 330 kV overhead line was damaged and disconnected due to shelling on February 20, the Energy Ministry said.
“Unfortunately, due to the difficult security situation and the lack of stable access from the military for power engineers, the line remains de-energized. Accordingly, as in all previous days, Zaporizhzhia NPP remains on one power line. However, power engineers are doing everything possible to restore it,” the ministry said in a statement on its Telegram channel on Sunday.
As reported, on Saturday evening, NPC Ukrenergo said that its power engineers had managed to repair and put into operation the 330 kV OHL, which is a backup for ZNPP.
On Sunday morning, the NPC provided updated information, noting that yesterday repair crews turned on the 330 kV line recently damaged by Russian shelling, which strengthened the stability of power supply in Dnipropetrovska oblast, but still continue to work on restoring the energy infrastructure on which the reliability of ZNPP power supply depends.
ZNPP is connected to the Ukrainian power grid through only one line – the 750 kV overhead line “Dniprovska”. The second operating line (backup), OHL-330 kV Ferosplavna-1, was disconnected on the afternoon of February 20 after the Russian shelling.
Polish farmers continue to block truck traffic at the Yahodyn, Ustyluh, Uhryniv, Rava-Ruska, Shehyni and Krakivets checkpoints, with a total of nearly 2,400 trucks in the queues, according to Andriy Demchenko, spokesman for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGS).
“Polish farmers are blocking traffic in six directions. These are the directions of the Yahodyn, Ustyluh, Uhryniv, Rava-Ruska, Shehyni and Krakovets checkpoints. “If we talk about the queues that have formed in Poland because of this, in all these directions, in total, as of this morning, it is about 2,400 trucks, most of all at the Krakovets, Rava-Ruska and Yagodyn checkpoints,” Demchenko said on the air of the national telethon on Sunday.
According to him, the lowest rates of border crossings remain for trucks. Over the past day, about 90 trucks crossed the border in both directions at Shehyni checkpoint, and 50 trucks crossed the border to Ukraine at Yagodyn checkpoint, but Polish farmers continue to completely block the movement of trucks heading from Ukraine to Poland.
There is no blocking of cars and buses.
The Bureau of Economic Security (BES) has ensured that the state budget receives more than UAH 13.4 million in taxes refunded by a Lviv-based holding company that includes 60 restaurants and retail outlets, the bureau’s press service reports.
According to the report, the investigation found that the holding’s employees received their salaries in two installments, one of which was paid through shadow registers. During the pre-trial investigation, the BES detectives conducted a series of searches, interrogated the company’s employees and collected the necessary evidence.
In addition, the Bureau initiated a tax audit to determine the correctness of the company’s tax and fee payments. As a result of the audit, an additional UAH 13.4 million in taxes and fees were accrued, the press release said.
“The company’s director pleaded guilty at the pre-trial investigation stage. The company has paid to the state budget the damages caused to the state in full. The person involved in the criminal case was served a notice of suspicion of committing criminal offenses under Part 2 of Article 212, Part 3 of Article 212-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine,” the Bureau said.
According to the BES, the case has been sent to court. The pre-trial investigation was conducted by detectives of the BES territorial office in Lviv region. Prosecutors of the Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office are in charge of the proceedings.
As reported, on October 17, 2023, the BES announced the exposure of a large-scale tax evasion scheme in Lviv by a holding company that includes 60 restaurants and retail outlets. On the same day, Yuriy Nazaruk, co-owner of the !Fest holding, reported that the BES and the Security Service of Ukraine conducted searches at one of the holding’s sites in Lviv. According to him, the searches were related to the holding’s business activities, but there were no requests or appeals from law enforcement officers in connection with criminal cases.
The !Fest holding was founded in 2007. It develops a network of creative restaurants, cafes, shops and real estate in Ukraine. Its owners are Andriy Khudo, Yuriy Nazaruk, and Dmitry Gerasimov.
On February 21, 2024, NNEGC Energoatom received a certificate of registration of a share issue worth more than UAH 306 billion.
“On February 21, 2024, the company successfully and on time overcame the next stage of corporatization: a certificate of registration of the issue of shares, 100% of which will belong to the state of Ukraine, was received,” the company said on its Telegram channel on Friday.
According to NNEGC, this step is extremely important, as it emphasizes the commitment to implement open corporate standards and transparency in the company’s management.
“The certificate of registration of the share issue makes it possible to attract new investments and increase investments in the energy sector,” Energoatom emphasized.
As reported, on December 29, 2023, the Cabinet of Ministers decided to establish Energoatom, a joint-stock company with 100% state-owned shares.
In January 2024, the state registration of Energoatom took place and the company’s charter was registered.
“Energoatom is the operator of four nuclear power plants: Zaporizhzhya, Rivne, South Ukraine and Khmelnytsky, which operate 15 nuclear power units with a total capacity of 13.8 GW, covering about 55% of Ukraine’s electricity needs.
Import changes in % to previous period in 2022-2023
Source: Open4Business.com.ua and experts.news
