KYIV. Oct 6 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Public joint-stock company Ukrzaliznytsia in September 2017 improved average figure for supply of gondola cars to enterprises of the metal and mining sector of Ukraine – from 21% in August to 26%, President of the Ukrmetallurgprom association (Dnipro) Oleksandr Kalenkov said on Wednesday.
“Average supply to metal and mining companies was 26% of their total loading on gondola cars [21% in August], and in general the pace is good,” he said.
Kalenkov said that the situation with cars supply in October is sharply worsening, according to information of the association.
He said that Ukrmetallurgprom is trying to achieve the market share of cars supplies by the branch of Ukrzaliznytsia – Transport Logistics Center. Today the market share is 35-40%.
Earlier Ukrmetallurgprom criticized Ukrzaliznytsia for the absence of cooperation and ignorance of the interests of the key cargo dispatchers, in particular, metal and mining companies.
KYIV. Oct 6 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukrgasbank and Megabank have become subagents of the project of the European Investment Bank (EIB) for lending to small and medium-sized enterprises in the amount of EUR400 million, according to a press release from the Finance Ministry of Ukraine.
According to the report, the corresponding agreements with the banks were signed by the ministry on October 5.
Under the terms of the agreement with the EIB, the Ministry of Finance, with the assistance of Ukreximbank, provides credit funds to the selected participating banks to finance Ukrainian enterprises.
Lending is designed for five years with the possibility of further extending the period of using EIB lending resources.
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ratified the financial agreement between Ukraine and the EIB on a loan of EUR400 million for small and medium-sized enterprises on July 15, 2015.
The Ministry of Finance attracted long-term loans from the EIB for financing small and medium-sized business projects, as well as socio-economic infrastructure projects, including those on energy efficiency, mitigation of climate changes and adaptation to them.
KYIV. Oct 6 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has ratified the agreement between the governments of Ukraine and the United States on cooperation in the field of science and technology.
According to an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent, 246 people’s deputies voted for law No. 0156 at a plenary session on Thursday.
The law ratified the agreement in the form of exchange of notes between the governments of Ukraine and the United States on the restoration of cooperation in science and technology, which was signed in Washington on December 4, 2006.
According to an explanatory note to the bill, the goal of ratification is the need to validate the basic agreement between the governments of both countries on cooperation in science and technology dated December 4, 2006, which creates a legal basis for cooperation in science and technology for mutually beneficial cooperation and will promote the development of science and technology in the two countries.
KYIV. Oct 5 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukrainian entrepreneur and philanthropist Vasyl Khmelnytsky has put his business projects and social initiatives under one umbrella brand, UFuture Investment Group, according to a press release from the group.
UFuture Investment Group will represent the entrepreneur’s companies and projects in Ukraine and internationally. The head office of the group is in Brussels.
“The mission of the new company is to develop the most advanced and most promising sectors in Ukraine by using the best international experience, knowledge, management technologies and foreign investment in the group’s projects in various sectors. Focus will be on the development of high technologies, primarily as part of innovation and industrial parks, as well as alternative energy, biopharmaceutics and modern agricultural industry,” the document reads.
The group incorporates the leading Ukrainian property development company UDP, which implements large infrastructure projects. In addition, the conglomerate has united businesses in innovative areas, such as UDP Renewables, the Bila Tserkva Industrial Park, the innovation parks UNIT.City and LvivTech.City. The group is open to creating joint ventures and working with new partners.
“We believe that Ukraine is a promising market for development, its potential can be unlocked through partnership of local and international players. It is important for us not only to raise funds for the development of projects, but also to invite technologies, knowledge, innovative management practices and international experience to Ukraine. This will be impetus to the development of a brand new economy in the country,” Khmelnytsky stressed.
Mykola Tymoschuk, who has previously headed the representative office of the Ukrainian League of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs in Brussels for two and a half years, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of UFuture Investment Group. He possesses significant experience in business development, corporate relations, PR and GR in Ukraine, the CIS member states, the European Union and North America. He has held top positions in such leading international corporations as Chevron and TNK-BP. Mykola Tymoschuk will coordinate the group’s international activity, will look for investors and partners for existing businesses and promising projects.
“We are ready to offer international investors the ‘one-stop-shop’ services for the implementation of business projects in Ukraine, primarily in those industries where we have expertise. We are talking about certain investment projects with all their infrastructure: industrial property in industrial parks, opportunities for growth in innovation parks, joint investment in alternative energy, advanced initiatives in the agricultural sector and other projects run by the group,” Tymoschuk said.
KYIV. Oct 5 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The Greek Tourism Ministry, the Greek Tourism Organization and the Boumbouras Foundation have opened a national tourist office in Kyiv.
According to the press office of the Greek tourist office, it will become a center of information about traditional and new tourist opportunities in Greece, educational and cultural programs, religious, medical, business tourism, and ecotourism.
Experts predicted an increase in the flow of tourists from Ukraine to Greece due to the introduction of a visa-free regime with the European Union.
Over 11,000 tourists from Ukraine visited Greece in 2016.
KYIV. Oct 5 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukrainian enterprises working with scrap ferrous metals in January-September 2017 increased exports of these products by 37.6% compared to the same period in 2016, to 321,104 tonnes (233,378 tonnes a year ago).
According to customs statistics made public by the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine, scrap metal exports in monetary terms grew by 82.5%, to $74.83 million ($40.992 million in January-September 2016).
In September, exports of scrap metal totaled 64,336 tonnes, while in August it was 68,729 tonnes, July 57,073 tonnes, June 29,106 tonnes, in May 26,151 tonnes, April – 27,038 tonnes, March – 20,889 tonnes, February – 7,676 tonnes and January – 10,106 tonnes.
In January-September 2017 the country increased imports of scrap metal in natural terms by 6.9% compared to January-September 2016, to 17,606 tonnes. In monetary terms, imports grew 2.9-fold, to $16.936 million.
The goods were mainly imported from Turkey (86.98% of supply in terms of money), and Moldova (4.78%). Exports mainly went to Turkey (49.26%), Moldova (45.74%) and Bulgaria (2.91%).
