Business news from Ukraine

Business news from Ukraine

BRITISH CROWN AGENTS CALLS TENDER TO BUY LABORATORY REAGENTS IN UKRAINE

KYIV. Jan 21 (Interfax-Ukraine) – U.K.-based Crown Agents, acting as a specialized organization within the meaning of the Law of Ukraine on public procurements, has called a tender to buy laboratory reagents in Ukraine, the company said in an announcement on its website.

“Following our contract with Ukraine’s Ministry of Health signed on November 6, 2015, to supply oncology pharmaceuticals and other related medical items, we launched our third and last international tender for year 2015’s budget on Monday, January 18, 2016,” it said.

All bids must be received by February 1, 2016 at 12:00 (noon) U.K. time (GMT).

Purchased will be the following groups of laboratory reagents: reagents for HLA-typing and selection of the donors of the marrow; laboratory reagents for immunocytological diagnosis of leukemias and lymphomas in children, detection of minimal residual disease, enumeration of haematopoietic stem cell collections using a flow cytofluorometer CytoMix FC-500 and laboratory reagents for the molecular-genetic and molecular-cytogenetic diagnostics of children leukemia.

Bidders should also submit their offers for the following laboratory chemicals: laboratory reagents for molecular cytogenetic studies to confirm diagnosis and select treatment strategy, detect micrometastases, minimal residual disease and monitor the effectiveness of therapy of pediatric malignant solid tumors using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) applying fluorescent microscope and laboratory reagents for molecular genetic studies to confirm diagnosis and select treatment strategy for pediatric malignant solid tumors, detect micrometastases, minimal residual disease and monitor the effectiveness of therapy using polymerase chain reaction method on Applied Biosystems 7300/7500 Real-Time PCR.

Other chemicals that are being tendered are laboratory reagents or immune-histological diagnostics of children malignant neoplasms.

Bidders may bid for one or more items, the company said. Bids will be evaluated on an item by item basis. If a bidder submits the most competitive bid for multiple items, negotiations will be held with the successful bidder to reduce freight costs through consolidation.

The goods are for use in Ukraine by the Ministry of Health and its recipient hospitals.

EU TO STEP UP EFFORTS TO SUPPORT UKRAINE IN 2016 – EUROPEAN COMMISSION

BRUSSELS. Jan 21 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The European Commission has said it hopes soon to give a positive recommendation for cancellation of visa travel regime with EU for Ukraine and in 2016 build on current support programmes to improve the business climate, provide support to small and medium-sized enterprises, and help Ukraine find new markets.

“In 2016 will be stepping up our efforts to support Ukraine with more co-ordination with EU member states and greater visibility for our work, particularly on implementation of the DCFTA,” said Commissioner for European Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn at a European Parliament’s plenary session on Wednesday.

He said that for Ukraine the DCFTA can bring significant economic benefits.

“Ukrainian businesses will now receive stable and predictable preferential access to the largest market in the world with 500 million customers. And, EU enterprises will be able to benefit from easier access to the Ukrainian market, though we must help Ukraine develop the right conditions to encourage new business and investment relationships,” Hahn said.

He reminded that over 20 meetings were held in trilateral format to address alleged Russian concerns about the DCFTA implementation. Now, he said, “Ukraine faces a number of measures imposed by Russia impeding trade and transit, and will need our support here too.”

“For its part, Ukraine needs to show it is open for business by aligning with EU standards in key sectors and taking decisive action on rule of law,” the EU Commissioner said.

According to his estimates, despite very challenging circumstances, the Ukrainian government has made progress in implementing the Association Agreement.

In particular, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and new National Police have started to work; the selection process for an Anti-Corruption Prosecutor has been completed; the government has also adopted a law on the natural gas market, which aims at bringing the gas sector of Ukraine in line with the EU Third Energy Package.

“But we should not underestimate the challenges ahead. The fight against corruption, reform of the judiciary and of the public administration, as well as amendments to the Constitution, particularly the second reading on decentralization, will require courage and political will,” he stressed.

INTEREST IN EXHIBITIONS IN UKRAINE GROWING – LITHUANIAN VERSLO ZINIOS EDITION

VILNIUS. Jan 21 (BNS) – Organizers of exhibitions are turning to the Ukrainian market as the free trade area agreement between the European Union and Ukraine, which came into force in the beginning of 2016, increases the interest of entrepreneurs in the country, writes the Verslo zinios business edition.

“Over the last two years interest in the Ukrainian market has fallen markedly compared to 2013, but this year we feel recovery, more and more requests appear, enterprises are interested in business opportunities in Ukraine,” director of the Autare company organizing exhibitions Tadas Dilys said.

According to him, Lithuanian companies are most interested in exhibitions in the field of construction and beauty industry.

Consensus Europae Director Simonas Zunda also confirmed the growth of such interest. He said in the past year they took only a few companies to Ukraine, while about 70 enterprises plan to attend exhibitions in 2016-2017.

According to the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, Ukraine plans in 2016 to hold 64 exhibitions. Of these 33 will be organized in Kyiv, eight in Zaporizhia, seven in Lviv, four in Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa, and three in Kharkiv.

PHARMACY SALES IN UKRAINE 18% UP IN MONETARY TERMS, 18% DOWN IN NATURAL TERMS IN 2015

KYIV. Jan 21 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Pharmacy sales in Ukraine in 2015 in monetary terms increased by 18% compared to 2014, to UAH 47.144 billion, while in natural terms they decreased by 18%, to 1.314 billion packages, Business Credit company has told Interfax-Ukraine.

According to the company, in particular, retail sales of medicinal products in 2015 in monetary terms increased by 18%, to UAH 38.6 billion, in natural terms fell by 18%, to almost 818.595 million packs.

Pharmacy sales of cosmetics in the 12 months of 2015 in value terms grew by 25%, to UAH 1.061 billion, while in real terms declined by 14%, to 27.117 million packs.

In addition, Business Credit noted that the average weighted price of goods of a pharmacy basket over 2015 increased by 43%.

UKRAINE FULLY USES EU QUOTAS FOR EIGHT COMMODITY GROUPS IN 2015

KYIV. Jan 20 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine fully used the European Union’s tariff quotas for the supply of maize, wheat, poultry, honey, oats, grape and apple juice, processed tomatoes, barley groats, and flour in 2015, the Ukrainian Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food has reported.

What is more, the sugar quota was used by 99%, that of malt and wheat gluten by 73%, starch by 9.6%, ethanol by 4.5%, garlic by 8.8%, and barley by 77.7%.

As reported, Ukraine is allowed to supply 36 groups of commodities to the EU on a duty-free basis within the quotas approved under the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement.

Namely, the beef quota is set at 12,000 tonnes, that of milk, yoghurt, fermented milk products at 8,000 tonnes, milk powder at 1,500 tonnes, creamery butter at 1,500 tonnes, egg products at 1,500 tonnes, eggs at 3,000 tonnes, and pork at 40,000 tonnes.

Tariff quotas within the EU’s autonomous trade preferences are set at 950,000 tonnes for wheat, 250,000 tonnes for barley, 400,000 tonnes for maize, 20,00 tonnes for sugar, 5,000 tonnes for honey,10,000 tonnes for, processed tomatoes, 10,000 tonnes for grape and apple juice, 4,000 tonnes for oats, and 500 tonnes for garlic.

CYPRIOT FUNEMI LIMITED TO PURCHASE 100% OF RENAISSANCE COMPANY

KYIV. Jan 20 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Cypriot company Funemi Limited intends to acquire 100% of shares in PJSC Renaissance (Brovary, Kyiv region), part of NEST group of companies (Kyiv).

According to a company report in the information disclosure system of the National Commission on Securities and the Stock Market, Funemi Limited plans to acquire 322 million common registered shares in PJSC Renaissance.

As indicated in the report, as of January 12, 2016 Funemi Limited did not hold shares of PJSC Renaissance.

PJSC Renaissance was created in 2003. Its core business is leasing and operating own or rented real estate.

As of January 19, 2015, 100% of the charter capital or 322 million ordinary registered shares of the company with a nominal value of UAH 0.1 belonged to an individual. The director general of the company is Mykola Shnipko.