Integration of European standards, in particular the provisions of EU Regulation 305/2011 on the quality of construction products and new environmental standards, is one of the important criteria for attracting investments in the reconstruction of Ukraine, the growth of the local construction market and increasing the competitiveness of domestic producers of construction materials, believes the executive director of the association “Ukrcement” Lyudmyla Krypka.
“European integration is one of the criteria for investing in Ukraine. The key factors that will contribute to the growth of construction in Ukraine and the development of the construction sector are government programs for infrastructure rehabilitation, intensification of construction works, localization of production, introduction of modern technologies and focus on environmental standards. It is those Ukrainian producers who will focus on these areas that will be able to consolidate competitive positions, stimulate the development of the industry and provide the market with quality building materials,” she said at the press conference ‘State Partnership and Investments in Rehabilitation of Territories’ at the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Friday.
According to her, cement industry enterprises were among the first to implement the provisions of the 305th regulation in their activities and are now working on the implementation of environmental standards, which are also included in the new EU directive.
Kripka noted that the implementation of Euro standards not only increases the competitiveness of Ukrainian producers in international markets, but also opens the way to development and innovation.
One of the important tasks for the cement industry is to reduce CO2 emissions.
“The industry is working to reduce emissions. Enterprises introduce the best available technologies and management methods, take part in monitoring, reporting and verification of greenhouse gas emissions. Ukraine can become an example of simple methods to reduce CO2 emissions by using biomass in clinker firing,” the expert said.
Cement industry companies themselves invest in their own production, Kripka noted. Companies also invest in the construction of additional technological lines, clinker storage silos, terminals, kiln modernization and transition to alternative fuels. Further capacity expansion of cement plants will start during the active recovery phase, when cement consumption will increase to 10-10.5 million tons. Over the past two years, this figure is about 6.3 million tons, she explained.
The Ukrcement Association was established in January 2004 by reorganizing the Ukrainian Concern of Cement Industry Enterprises and Organizations Ukrcement. The association comprises five groups of companies, including nine cement enterprises.
CONSTRUCTION, European standards, INTEGRATION, investments in Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived on a visit to the United Kingdom of Great Britain. According to flightaware.com, the President’s Airbus A319 UR-ABA presidential plane has just landed at Stansted Airport (STN), London. According to The Guardian, Vladimir Zelensky landed in the UK ahead of tomorrow’s European defense summit.
“TV footage showed his motorcade pulling away from the runway at London’s Stansted airport,” the newspaper writes.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will reportedly hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Italian Council of Ministers President Giorgia Meloni at Downing Street on Sunday ahead of a summit aimed at securing a “lasting and enforceable” peace in Ukraine.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revised downward its forecast for Ukraine’s economic growth in 2025, lowering it by 0.5 percentage points (p.p.) from the previous forecast to 2-3%, according to a press release from the Fund based on the results of the mission for the seventh review of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF).
“Real GDP growth is estimated at 3.5% in 2024, but is expected to slow to 2-3% in 2025, reflecting unfavorable factors related to labor market constraints, damage to energy infrastructure, and Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine,” the release said following the staff-level agreement (SLA) on Friday.
Earlier this week, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) downgraded its forecast for Ukraine’s economic growth in 2025 to 3.5%, while last September it expected it to reach 4.7%.
As reported, the World Bank (WB) in its Global Economic Prospects published on January 17 downgraded its forecast for Ukraine’s GDP growth in 2025 to 2% from 6.5% in the June report, but improved it for 2026 to 7% from 5.1%.
The National Bank of Ukraine also changed its forecasts. Given the security risks and the difficult situation on the labor market, the NBU lowered its real GDP growth forecast for 2025 from 4.1% to 3.6% in late January, while the state budget for 2025 is based on a 2.7% GDP growth forecast.
On February 24, 2025, the Swedish government announced that it will provide financial support to the Ukrainian Institute in Sweden in the amount of SEK 9 million to implement projects aimed at promoting Ukrainian culture.
“Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has caused enormous cultural destruction. Russia’s attack on Ukrainian cultural identity is manifested in everything from the massive looting of cultural heritage to the destruction of historical monuments,” the country’s highest executive body said in a statement.
The Ukrainian Institute in Sweden was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in Stockholm. The main areas of its activity are cultural diplomacy, education and public opinion formation.
“The Ukrainian Institute in Sweden plays a key role in preserving Ukrainian culture beyond the Russian destruction and ensuring that Ukraine is represented on international cultural platforms. Recognizing this important mission, the Swedish government has decided to provide financial support to the Institute to continue its activities,” the Swedish government said.
In the face of Russian attempts to deprive Ukraine of its cultural identity, the Institute works to preserve Ukrainian cultural heritage. This is achieved by disseminating knowledge about Ukraine, its history and culture, creating a platform for Ukrainian art abroad, representing Ukraine in the Swedish and European cultural space, and promoting Ukraine’s European integration through cultural dialogue.
Raising awareness of Ukraine in Europe and vice versa also reduces the impact of disinformation and strengthens the resilience of Ukrainian society.
Zaporizhstal Iron and Steel Works allocated UAH 938 million to maintain its production facilities in 2024, and plans to increase investments to UAH 1.1 billion in 2025.
According to the company, in 2024, Zaporizhstal carried out major overhauls of its main production units in accordance with its investment program, and implemented investment projects in occupational safety, information technology, and social sphere with a total investment of UAH 938 million.
The key equipment upgrade projects implemented in 2024 include the repair of blast furnaces No. 2, 3 and 4 with a total investment of over UAH 230 million. Similar investments were made to carry out a set of overhauls of the main rolling units.
The plant also overhauled the equipment of two sintering machines, including the revision of environmental protection equipment. In addition, a number of investment projects have been implemented to digitize production processes and upgrade the IT infrastructure. Every year, the company invests in improving working conditions for its employees: two sanitary facilities have been overhauled and two new modular sanitary facilities have been installed.
According to Taras Shevchenko, acting general director of the plant, the main focus of the capital investment program is to maintain efficient and trouble-free operation of production equipment and its treatment facilities.
“A functioning enterprise provides employment, exports and foreign currency earnings, revenues to the state budget, support for the region of operation, etc. Despite the challenging economic situation, Zaporizhstal has been gradually increasing its capital investments in production during the war: in 2022, investments amounted to UAH 500 million, in 2023 – UAH 750 million, in 2024 – UAH 938 million. The capital investment budget for 2025 is planned at UAH 1.1 billion, and we are already implementing the first projects of the planned ones,” the top manager stated.
In particular, in 2025, the plant will overhaul BF No. 3, two sintering machines, BTS-1680 and Slabbing-1150 mills, heating wells, BTA-4 line, modernize rolling production, as well as upgrade the amenities of the steelmaking shop, water supply shop, and implement a number of other projects.
“Zaporizhstal is one of the largest industrial enterprises in Ukraine, whose products are in great demand among consumers both in the domestic market and in many countries around the world.
“Zaporizhstal is in the process of being integrated into Metinvest Group, whose main shareholders are System Capital Management PrJSC (71.24%) and Smart Holding Group (23.76%).
Metinvest Holding LLC is the management company of Metinvest Group.
