Net migration to the United Kingdom (the difference between the number of immigrants and emigrants) in the year to June 2023 amounted to a record high of 906 thousand people, according to revised data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Previously, a positive migration balance of 740 thousand people was reported. Among the reasons for the revision, the ONS cites more available data, additional information on visas for Ukrainians, and optimization of the procedure for assessing migration from countries outside the so-called EU+ (EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland).
In the year to June 2024, net migration fell by 20% compared to the revised level of the previous 12 months – to 728 thousand people. The decline is mainly due to a decrease in the number of dependents arriving on study visas.
Precipitation is not expected in most of Ukraine on Saturday, only in the Carpathians there will be light snow during the day, temperatures will drop to 9-14° Celsius at night, 1-6° Celsius during the day; in the south and far west of the country, 3-8° Celsius at night, 2° Celsius to 3° Celsius during the day, the Ukrainian Weather Center reported. There is ice on the roads in some places. Northwest wind with a shift to southwest, 5-10 m/s.
No precipitation in Kyiv on Saturday, December 14. On the roads in some places there is ice. Northwest wind with a shift to southwest, 5-10 m/s. The temperature at night will be around 10° below zero, during the day 3-5° below zero.
According to the Borys Sreznevsky Central Geophysical Observatory. On December 14, the highest daytime temperature was 9.8° in 1950, and the lowest nighttime temperature was -23.4° in 1921.
On Sunday, December 15, there will be light snow, moderate wet snow in the southern and eastern regions, and mostly rain in the south. On the roads of the country in some places there is ice cover.
West, southwest wind, 7-12 m / s; during the day in the western regions gusts of 15-20 m / s. Temperatures at night and during the day will be from 2° below zero to 3° above zero, at night in most regions 1-6° below zero.
In Kyiv on December 15 – light snow, sometimes ice on the roads, westerly, southwesterly wind, 7-12 m/s. The temperature at night will be 2-4° below zero, during the day around 0°.
The Supervisory Board of Ukrzaliznytsia JSC (UZ) has approved the indexation of freight transportation tariffs, the company’s press service reports.
“Tariffs for rail freight transportation have not been indexed for almost two years – since the summer of 2022, and the previous indexation did not bring tariffs to an economically justified level. During this time, the producer price index for industrial products has already reached 176.4%. At the same time, the railroaders proposed to limit the indexation of tariffs to a much more moderate figure: only 37%, or about 13% per annum, given that 2.5 years have passed since the last indexation,” the press service said.
It is noted that the proposals to increase tariffs were approved by the board of UZ on December 5, 2024.
The approved changes will be further submitted for consideration by the Tariff Council under the Ministry of Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine, UZ said.
The company reminded that according to the Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 1392 of December 16, 2009 “On Ensuring Transparency of the State Tariff Policy for the Transportation of Goods by Rail within Ukraine”, tariffs for the transportation of goods by rail within Ukraine should be indexed annually.
“Unfortunately, this rule was not regularly implemented and the dynamics of indexation of tariffs for rail freight transportation lagged far behind changes in prices for the main resources consumed by the railroad,” UZ said, recalling that tariffs for rail freight transportation had not been indexed for almost two years – since the summer of 2022, and the previous indexation did not bring tariffs to an economically justified level. During this time, the producer price index for industrial products has already reached 176.4%.
Since the last revision of freight transportation tariffs, electricity prices have increased by 166%, diesel prices by 110%, spare parts for diesel locomotives by 217%, spare parts for electric locomotives by 22%, bearings by 37%, and solid-rolled wheels by 20%.
It is noted that this deprived the company of the opportunity to repair infrastructure and rolling stock to the required extent, as well as to index the salaries of railway workers, of whom more than 10 thousand are defending Ukraine in the ranks of the Armed Forces, and to fulfill social obligations to them.
“The indexation of freight transportation tariffs is vital for the Ukrainian railways to operate sustainably and meet safety standards. The level of tariff indexation was calculated to be at least sufficient to finance operating expenses and carry out critical infrastructure repairs,” the press service of Ukrzaliznytsia quoted Hafer Cheetah, chairman of the company’s supervisory board, as saying.
It is reported that the planned indexation will make it possible to finance the repair of rolling stock and infrastructure at the minimum required level. Otherwise, there will be significant risks to the continuity of the safe operation of the state’s critical infrastructure.
Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, Chairman of the Board of Ukrzaliznytsia, promised to openly present and explain to customers the changes in the upcoming freight tariffs.
“We will openly present and explain the indexation proposals to our customers, both the largest and smaller shippers from all sectors of the economy, and will also fix with them what compensations and operational improvements they expect from Ukrzaliznytsia,” the press service quoted the chairman of the board of Ukrzaliznytsia as saying.
He emphasized that the railroad continues to deliver cargo reliably despite daily shelling and is restoring track and power infrastructure as soon as possible to avoid letting customers and the entire Ukrainian economy down.
“At the same time, we owe a significant debt to the railroad workers themselves – their salaries are significantly lower than the industry average, and a number of social benefits have been suspended. Indexation of tariffs is critically necessary to ensure that the working conditions of railway workers do not deteriorate,” Pertsovsky said.
Earlier it was reported that the Tariff Council under the Ministry of Community Development, Territories and Infrastructure (MiRD) approved the draft decision on the unification of tariffs for freight transportation by rail.
As reported, Ukrzaliznytsia and representatives of Ukrainian business are working together to unify the tariff setting system for rail freight transportation proposed by Ukrzaliznytsia starting in October 2022.
Former Ukrzaliznytsia CEO Yevhen Lyashchenko said in an interview that without unification, the company would not be able to end the year with a profit. According to him, the company’s plan for 2024 is not to increase freight tariffs but to harmonize them. This implies a complete change in the model of their calculation by simplifying the tariff system, which consists of five different classes and more than 20 coefficients. The proposals include a single tariff for the transportation of empty wagons and a division into classes linked to transportation technology.
According to preliminary estimates, the harmonization of tariffs should bring the company an additional UAH 3-4 billion by the end of the year, depending on when the government approves this decision.
Pharmaceutical company Lekhim PrJSC (Kyiv) plans to appoint Crowe Erfolg Ukraine LLC as the auditor of the company and consolidated financial statements of its subsidiaries (Lekhim Group of Pharmaceutical Companies) for 2024 and 2025.
As the company reported in the information disclosure system of the National Securities and Stock Market Commission (NSSMC), the shareholders will consider such a proposal of the board of directors of the company at a meeting on December 27.
As reported, in 2023, Lekhim reduced its net profit by 4.3 times compared to 2022 to UAH 56.929 million.
The Lekhim Group of Companies includes Lekhim-Obukhiv LLC, Lekhim Kharkiv PrJSC, Technolog (Cherkasy region), and Lekhim-Vilnius CJSC.
Lekhim produces more than 200 medicinal products of almost all therapeutic groups. It registers more than 10 new drugs annually. The products are exported to more than 35 countries. One of Lekhim’s anti-tuberculosis drugs has been prequalified by the WHO.
Crowe Erfolg Ukraine is a member of Crowe Global, one of the world’s largest audit networks.
The U.S. Department of Commerce (U.S. Department of Commerce) has maintained the existing anti-dumping duties on construction steel rebar from Ukraine, Belarus, Indonesia, Latvia, Moldova, Poland and China.
According to the Ministry of Commerce in the Federal Register on December 13 this year, such conclusions are contained in the findings of the United States International Trade Commission (USITC) dated December 10, 2024, following the fourth five-year review of the duties.
The document emphasizes that the USITC believes that the elimination of duties on rebar from Belarus, China, Indonesia, Latvia, Moldova, Poland, and Ukraine “is likely to result in continued or recurring material injury to the U.S. industry within a reasonable foreseeable time.”
It is specified that the Commission decided to conduct the review of the duties on November 1, 2023. Hearings on this topic were held on October 3, 2024.
As reported, on November 1, 2023, the U.S. Department of Commerce published information on the initiative of the fourth review of anti-dumping duties on rebar from seven countries.
The amount of the duty on the supply of Ukrainian reinforcing bars (Steel Concrete Reinforcing Bars) to the US market since their introduction (2002) is 41.69%.
It was also reported that in mid-2000, the Rebar Trade Action Coalition (RTAC), an association of American producers of iron bars, and its individual members, Ameri Steel (Tampa, FL), Auburn Steel Co, Inc. (Auburn, NY), Birmingham Steel Corp. (Birmingham, AL), Border Steel, Inc. (El Paso, TX), CMC Steel Group (Seguin, TX), Marion Steel Co. (Marion, OH), Nucor Steel (Darlington, SC) and Riverview Steel (Glassport, PA) – filed a petition with the International Trade Commission to initiate an anti-dumping investigation against imports of these products, in particular from Ukraine.
The Ukrainian respondent in this investigation was Kryvorizhstal, which was later acquired by Mittal Steel, renamed ArcelorMittal.
In mid-2001, the Commission recognized that rebar supplies, in particular from Ukraine, were harming U.S. producers of similar products by supplying them at dumped prices, and in 2002 an anti-dumping duty of 41.69% was imposed.
Under US law, anti-dumping duties are reviewed every five years.
“ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih is the largest rolled steel producer in Ukraine. It specializes in long products, including rebar and wire rod.
In January-November this year, Ukraine increased imports of aluminum ore and concentrate (bauxite) in physical terms by 82.3% compared to the same period last year, up to 30,140 thousand tons.
According to statistics released by the State Customs Service (SCS) on Monday, bauxite imports in monetary terms increased by 78.2% to $3.672 million during this period.
The imports came mainly from Turkey (76.74% of supplies in monetary terms), China (21.06%) and Spain (2.12%).
Ukraine did not re-export bauxite in the period under review, as well as in January-November 2023.
As reported, in 2022, Ukraine reduced imports of aluminum ore and concentrate (bauxite) in physical terms by 81.5% compared to the previous year – to 945.396 thousand tons. Imports of bauxite in monetary terms decreased by 79.6% to $48.166 million. Imports were mainly from Guinea (58.90% of supplies in monetary terms), Brazil (27.19%) and Ghana (7.48%).
In 2023, Ukraine imported 19,830 thousand tons of bauxite worth $2.360 million.
Bauxite is an aluminum ore used as a raw material to produce alumina, which is used to make aluminum. They are also used as fluxes in ferrous metallurgy.
Mykolaiv Alumina Plant (MAP) imports bauxite to Ukraine.
