On Thursday, in the presence of Ukraine’s Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Vitaliy Koval, Italian Ambassador to Ukraine Carlo Formosa signed an agreement with the International Center for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Research in Bari (CIHEAM) to launch the €9 million Pro.UKR project.
The Italian embassy toldInterfax-Ukraine that the agreement aims to promote sustainable agricultural development and food security in the agricultural areas of Odesa region.
The project, which will strengthen the production, technical and organizational capacities of local agricultural producers, livestock enterprises and cooperatives, will be fully implemented in Odesa, a city over which Italy has taken patronage for recovery, demonstrating Italy’s commitment to one of the regions most affected by the war. The program, developed jointly with the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine and technical experts from Odesa Oblast, will include the provision of tools for production in the fields of agriculture and livestock, the introduction of new technologies and sustainable irrigation systems.
“The agri-food sector is one of the key components for Ukraine’s economic recovery, particularly in the agricultural areas where small businesses have been particularly hard hit by the conflict. Italy reaffirms its support through a concrete project aimed at strengthening food security and promoting sustainable agricultural development,” said Ambassador Formosa.
The Pro.UKR program is part of a broader effort by Italy to support the recovery of Ukraine and the Odesa region, with the aim of contributing to the country’s economic and social resilience in the current difficult environment.
The Board of Directors of the Ukrainian agricultural holding KSG Agro has sold 700 thousand shares owned by the company to a new partner in accordance with the company’s development strategy and in order to increase the participation of new investors in new projects.
“KSG Agro still owns 800 thousand shares in the company,” the agricultural holding said in a statement on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE).
The name of the new partner was not disclosed.
Taking into account the total number of shares, it means the sale of 4.66% and retention of 5.33% of the company’s shares.
On Thursday, KSG Agro’s share price on the WSE decreased by 0.25% to PLN4.07 per share ($1.05 at the current exchange rate), which corresponds to a capitalization of PLN60.53 million ($15.62 million).
As reported, KSG Agro in February this year announced the purchase of 10% of its own shares from its major shareholder Olbis Investments Ltd, Sergey Kasyanov, to diversify and expand its investment activities in the EU markets. Olbis Investments’ stake is now 47.97%.
In January-September 2024, KSG Agro agricultural holding generated $16.8 million in revenue, up 41% year-on-year. Its EBITDA for the three quarters of last year decreased by 4% to $4.38 million, and its net loss amounted to $0.8 million against a net profit of $1.34 million for the same period in 2023.
Reaching a peace agreement that is fair and sustainable will allow the EU to increase its focus on financing recovery, European Economic Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said.
“Obviously, we will then need to discuss with the Ukrainian authorities and see how we adjust our funding from international donors, obviously, because one of the main assumptions in this assessment of funding needs is always the question of how long the war is going on, what the intensity is, and so on,” he told reporters at a press conference on Thursday following his visit to Kyiv.
Dombrovskis emphasized that the EU, for its part, is ready to adjust its funding both in the context of, for example, a reduction in US military aid and in the context of progress in a ceasefire or peace agreement.
He reminded that the EU’s Ukraine Facility program is currently designed to support Ukraine until 2027, while the ERA loan mechanism from G7 partners at the expense of frozen Russian funds is designed to cover part of 2026.
“And then, of course, we will need to see if and how much additional funding is needed. Usually, this process is organized in such a way that the IMF has to assess the financing needs for Ukraine, and then international donors work on how we cover these financing needs,” the European Commissioner explained.
According to him, this program usually starts somewhere in the middle of the year, because, obviously, all this is surrounded by very high uncertainty.
In 2024, the French residential real estate market went through a period of adjustment and stabilization after the previous price increases. According to the National Institute for Statistics and Economic Research (INSEE), in the third quarter of 2024, secondary housing prices fell by 3.96% year-on-year, the fifth consecutive quarter of decline.
Key trends in 2024:
Declining prices: In the Ile-de-France region, including Paris, secondary housing prices fell by 5.24% year-on-year, reaching €6,150 per square meter. In Paris itself, the decline was 5.56%, with an average price of €9,520 per square meter.
Decrease in investment activity: Investments in rental property declined significantly due to rising interest rates and tightening credit conditions.
Shortage of rental housing: There was an acute shortage of affordable rental housing in major cities, especially in Paris, which made it difficult for students and young professionals to find accommodation.
Forecast for 2025:
Experts expect the French residential real estate market to continue to stabilize in 2025. The National Real Estate Federation of France (FNAIM) predicts that prices will stabilize in the first half of 2025, and in the second half of the year, growth of 1% year-on-year will begin.
However, the market recovery will depend on lower mortgage rates and improved financing conditions, which will increase purchasing power. Geopolitical events and domestic housing policy will also play an important role.
Thus, 2024 was a watershed year for the French real estate market, marked by significant price adjustments, but also by the first signs of stabilization. Industry professionals expect a gradual recovery, which will depend on macroeconomic factors and government policy.
http://relocation.com.ua/rynok-zhytlovoi-nerukhomosti-frantsii-u-2024/
Insurance company “Knyazha Life Vienne Insurance Group” (Kiev) last year collected UAH 60.890 million of insurance payments, which is 5.39% less than in the previous year, reports RA “Standard-Rating” on the website in the information on confirmation of the financial stability rating/credit rating of the company at the level of “uaAA+” at the end of the reporting period.
It is noted that the volume of insurance payments and indemnities made by the company for 2024 amounts to UAH 27,383 mln, that is by 20,29% less than the volume of payments for 2023. Thus, the level of payments of the insurer has decreased by 8,41 percentage points (p.p.), to 44,97%.
Last year the company’s activity was profitable: it received UAH 29,561 mln of net profit
Assets as of January 1, 2025 increased by 14.01%, to UAH 909.017 mln, equity capital – by 11.40%, to UAH 306.321 mln, liabilities increased by 15.38%, to UAH 602.696 mln, cash and cash equivalents – by 71.57%, to UAH 4.296 mln, government bonds and deposits in banks as part of current financial investments – by 13.92%, to UAH 879.676 mln.
RA emphasizes that as of the beginning of 2025 shareholders’ equity covered 50,83% of the insurer’s liabilities, and 0,71% of its liabilities were secured by cash and cash equivalents.
At the same time, as of January 1, 2025 the insurer has formed a portfolio of current financial investments in the amount of UAH 879,676 mln, including bank deposits and investments in government bonds. Thus, as of the beginning of 2025, liquid assets (cash and cash equivalents, bank deposits and government bonds) exceeded the company’s liabilities in 1,47 times.
It is noted that the high level of external support of the company is provided by its shareholder – an international insurance group headquartered in Austria Vienna Insurance Group Wiener Städtische Versicherung AG., which is represented by 50 companies in 30 countries and is the leader of the insurance market in Central and Eastern Europe.
In the framework of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s state visit to Paris, the Foundation for the Development of Culture and Art of Uzbekistan and the French Ministry of Culture signed a number of agreements on cooperation in the field of culture.
The documents were signed by the head of the Foundation, Gayane Umerova, and the French Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati.
One of the agreements is a declaration on cooperation between the cultural institutions of the two countries. It envisages the development of academic exchanges between the Alfred Cortot School of Music in Paris and the State Conservatory of Uzbekistan, as well as support for joint film projects.
An agreement was also signed to hold the exhibition “Uzbekistan: Avant-Garde in the Desert” in France and an international conference on museums and artificial intelligence in Samarkand as part of the 43rd session of the UNESCO General Conference.
