Ukraine’s Ministry of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development has agreed with Turkey’s Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure to extend the liberalization of freight transport, the ministry’s press service said on Thursday. According to the ministry, the “transport visa-free zone” or liberalization of freight transport with Turkey, includes bilateral freight traffic and transit traffic, the ministry said.
“Of all the exports we deliver to Turkey, about 15% are by road transport. Turkish companies import to us exactly by road transport almost 60% of the total volume of goods,” said Deputy Prime Minister for Reconstruction – Minister of Community Development, Territories and Infrastructure Alexander Kubrakov.
As a result of the agreement, the parties no longer need permits for cargo and transit transportation. At the same time, permit-free passage is also valid for the entry of empty trucks.
In addition, the Ministry of Transport agreed with the Turkish side to increase the number of permits for cargo transportation to/from third countries and bus transportation to 3,500 permits and 400 permits, respectively.
“We are working on the possibilities of performing irregular bus transportation – we have agreed on 400 permits for such trips. In the near future, part of these permits will be delivered to Ukraine for issuance to carriers,” – emphasized Deputy Minister of development of communities, territories and infrastructure Sergiy Derkach.
As reported, liberalization of freight transport is available with 35 countries, including the European Union. Last year, the team of the Ministry of Recovery managed to agree on the possibility with Norway, North Macedonia and extend the relevant agreement with Moldova.
International retailer Inditex plans to reopen 50 Zara stores in Ukraine that have been closed since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Reuters reported citing the Financial Times.
According to the report, the retailer plans to resume operations gradually from the beginning of April. The first to reopen will be 20 stores in shopping centers in Kyiv, including three outlets.
In total, 50 stores are planned to reopen, while 34 outlets located in the south and east of Ukraine will remain closed for now, the article says.
It is noted that Inditex has informed local landlords of its plans to open. “Interfax-Ukraine sent relevant requests to Ukrainian businesses.
The retailer’s plans to resume operations in Ukraine were confirmed to the agency by Dmytro Lashin, CEO of the capital’s Lavina Mall and Blockbuster Mall.
“Yesterday in a telephone conversation we confirmed the opening in April. They will open within a few days in different locations,” he told Interfax-Ukraine.
Inditex, owned by Spanish billionaire Amancio Ortega, operates clothing, footwear and accessories stores under the Zara, Pull&Bear, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Stradivarius, Oysho, Zara Home and Uterque brands. At the end of 2022, sales reached 32.6 billion euros (+17.5% compared to 2021). Net profit increased by 27% to €4.1 billion.
The share of investment transactions in the structure of sales in the primary housing market is about 15%, which is more than twice lower than the pre-war figure, according to a survey of developers conducted by Interfax-Ukraine.
“The share of investment apartments differs in different classes of residential real estate. The average rate of such transactions is about 15%. Since the beginning of last year, the share of apartments under development has remained virtually unchanged, while it has halved compared to the pre-war period,” KAN Development told the agency.
According to the company, the portrait of the investor has not changed significantly, but there are more buyers from the regions and those wishing to purchase multi-room, family apartments.
According to the developer Alliance Novobud, the share of investment transactions in its sales structure is currently on average 15%, while before the full-scale invasion the figure was 20-25% in Brovary and 30-40% in Kyiv.
According to Iryna Mikhalova, CMO of Alliance Novobud, there is a high demand for either finished or highly finished houses, but there is also growing interest in investing in the excavation stage due to the growing shortage of finished apartments.
“The portrait of the buyer has not changed much. Most often, these are people, private investors who are engaged in the rental business or plan to sell real estate by assignment. There are also legal entities that buy apartments in bulk for resale after renovation. They have high hopes for the demand from buyers under the “eOselya” and “eRestoration” programs,” the expert noted.
Kovalska Real Estate also noted a moderate recovery in investment demand. According to Igor Subotenko, the company’s director, the share of such transactions is currently 20% in the comfort class.
“Apartments are bought to save money and to increase the margin of start-finish construction, as the cost of each new project is getting higher,” he explained.
According to the expert, investors are interested in apartments for families of four or more people: zoned one-bedroom apartments of up to 60 square meters, two- and three-bedroom apartments of up to 110 square meters.
The share of investment demand in Intergal-Bud’s sales structure is currently 10-15%, while last year it was 5-10%, and before the full-scale invasion it was 40% or more. At the same time, the portrait of the investor has changed somewhat.
“Before the full-scale invasion, we recorded a considerable interest in primary investment among business owners and representatives of the IT industry. In 2021, young people, 28-30 years old, bought housing to earn money. Now these are people aged 40+, with almost no representatives of the technology and creative industries among them, but many employees and civil servants,” said Anna Laevska, Commercial Director of Intergal-Bud.
According to her, the share of IDPs among investors has also increased, as they invest their remaining savings in square meters to earn money after purchasing residential real estate.
According to Daria Bedia, Marketing Director of DIM Group, the developer’s clients mainly buy housing for themselves, but about 10% of transactions are investment. At the same time, most of the investors are professional, who previously had real estate in their portfolio.
One-bedroom apartments are in the greatest demand in the comfort+ class, while the requested area has decreased by an average of 15 square meters.
The Group is also considering introducing a format of income housing-apartments managed by a professional operator into its projects.
“This is a separate product that we are actively developing. In two of our projects, apartments with hotel services are designed as part of residential development. Among the added value are the best service for owners from well-known operators, the ability to comfortably accommodate relatives and friends in their homes without violating their privacy, and a well-developed internal infrastructure, as the apartments become a center of attraction for additional services: spa, restaurant, coworking, children’s areas, etc.” Bedia explained.
According to Roman Davymuka, CEO of Avalon, developers are actively developing additional services for investment housing.
“People are investing mainly in the long term – if in an apartment, then to make repairs and then receive rental income. We believe that special holistic services from the developer, including repairs, are the future of the product, and the market will develop into fully finished apartments,” he said.
Kovalska Real Estate is considering a turnkey renovation service. It is expected that the cost of repairs will be $400 per square meter. The service is planned to be launched in the new phase of Rusanivska Havan residential complex, the company’s director noted.
According to the press service of KAN Development, the developer has launched the KAN Market service, which allows customers to sell or lease their real estate and manage the full cycle.
For its part, Alliance Novobud is exploring various formats of additional services for investment housing, including the management of both apartments and parking spaces.
“We are considering engaging third-party partners to implement the collaboration, as well as an internal management company,” said Mikhaleva.
Bedia, DEVELOPER, DIM, HOUSING, Kovalska Real Estate, Суботенко
On Saturday, March 2, Kyiv will host a training seminar “First Aid for Injuries and Traumas” specially designed for journalists and bloggers. The event is organized by the Experts Club Kyiv Analytical Center with the support of its medical partner, ADONIS Medical Center Group, and its general partner, Pryirpinia Community Foundation.
The training aims to teach participants the basics of first aid in case of injuries and traumas, which is an important knowledge for everyone in times of war.
The seminar will be conducted by an anesthesiologist and co-author of 12 scientific publications, Mariana Bolyuk, who is a representative of the ADONIS Medical Center Group.
ADONIS, EXPERTS_CLUB, FIRST_AID, MEDICAL_AID, MEDICINE, URAKIN, БОЛЮК
The National Antarctic Science Center (NASC) has started participating in the Polarin research project of the European Union’s Horizon Europe program, the Ministry of Education and Science reports.
“Today, on March 1, 2024, the Polarin project of the EU’s Horizon Europe program has officially started, with the participation of the National Antarctic Science Center (NASC) and 49 other organizations from around the world. These are institutions that provide polar research from the EU, Chile, Canada, the USA, the UK, and other countries. The project is coordinated by the Alfred Wegener Institute, Germany,” the press service of the Ministry of Education said.
It is noted that Polarin involves the unification of 64 research infrastructures in the Arctic and Antarctic and the provision of free access to them (both direct and remote) to all participants.
“In this way, it is planned to support interdisciplinary research in both polar regions to address global issues, including climate change. After all, these regions are especially important for the Earth’s climate and are the first to respond to changes,” the statement said.
The agency said that the created network covers all related areas of research – from marine and terrestrial to atmospheric, and will include research stations, ships, observatories, repositories and databases.
Ukraine is represented in the project by two infrastructures: the Antarctic station Akademik Vernadsky and the Noosphere icebreaker.
“This will allow us to attract additional international funds to the Antarctic program, and Ukrainian scientists to use the polar facilities of other countries and participate in important scientific initiatives,” the press service quoted the director of the National Academy of Sciences Yevhen Dykyi as saying.
Ukraine will join Polarin in 2024-2025, and the project will last for 5 years. The project budget is 14.6 million euros, of which more than half a million euros are earmarked for Ukraine.
Benchmark oil prices are moderately rising on Friday morning after a slight decline the day before, which did not prevent the quotes from ending in the black for the second month in a row.
The price of May futures for Brent on the London ICE Futures exchange at 7:01 a.m. is $82.19 per barrel, which is $0.28 (0.34%) higher than at the close of the previous session. On Thursday, these contracts fell in price by $0.24 (0.3%) to $81.91 per barrel.
Quotations for April futures for WTI in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) by this time increased by $0.21 (0.27%) to $78.47 per barrel. At the end of the previous session, the contract fell by $0.28 (0.4%) to $78.26 per barrel.
In February, the price of Brent rose by 2.3%, WTI – by 3.2%, despite “various forces that put pressure on the global commodity market,” said FXTM analyst Lukman Otunuga.
“In any case, prices remain in a fairly wide range, and it will take a fundamental stimulus to shift the balance of power towards bulls or bears,” he said in an interview with MarketWatch. – “This could be an extension of OPEC+ supply cuts, increased geopolitical tensions, or a pleasant surprise from the Chinese economy.
