KYIV. May 11 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Head of the Ukrainian State Film Agency Philip Illienko has said that it may take five years of active government support to make the Ukrainian film industry self-sustained.
“We must admit that the budget allocated to support filmmaking in 2017 (UAH 500 million) is the largest budget for film production in the history of an independent Ukraine, and it allows us to say that there is an intense development. We are beginning to feel a shortage of creative personnel,” Illienko said at a press conference in Kyiv on Wednesday answering a question from Interfax-Ukraine.
He noted that the Ukrainian State Film Agency currently supports 90 projects, including 50 feature films.
“There is a serious need to talk about the development of film education. At present, we understand that we need to make a considerable investment in professional education, enabling Ukrainian students to travel… at the state expense to study abroad,” Illienko said.
At the same time, he noted that despite the active development, the film industry in Ukraine has not yet become self-sustained, but if the state continues to actively support the film production for at least five years, then the industry may start to develop independently.
“I think that if the government support of the Ukrainian filmmaking continues for at least five consecutive years, the Ukrainian film industry will reach a level of self-sustainability, when it will be possible to talk about changing approaches…” Illienko said.
KYIV. May 11 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine has sown 5.9 million hectares (ha) with spring grain and leguminous crops, which is 82% of the target as of May 10, 2017, the Ukrainian Agrarian Policy and Food Ministry has said.
In particular, 168,000 ha of the area was sown with wheat, which is 95% of the target, spring barley was sown on 1.56 million ha (95%), oats on 197,000 ha (95%), peas on 379,000 ha (115%), and maize on 3.5 million ha (78%), buckwheat on 34,000 ha (24%) and oats on 20,000 ha (25%).
Sugar beet crops cover 306,000 ha (104%), while 4.2 million ha (78%) was sown under sunflower crops and 1.1 million ha (56%) under soybean crops.
As was reported earlier, the ministry said that 7.2 million ha would be under spring grain crops in 2017. Of the area, 2.4 million ha will be sown with early grain crops.
KYIV. May 11 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The number of households that installed roof solar power plants and selling power at the feed-in tariff grew by 18% in January-March 2017 or by 200 households, to 1,309, according to a posting on the website of the State Agency on Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving of Ukraine.
The agency said that over the period the installed capacity of these plants grew by 20% or 3.35 MW, to 20.05 MW.
As reported, according to Ukrainian legislation, households has the right to install solar power plants with a capacity of up to 30 kW and sell extra power according to the feed-in tariff.
KYIV. May 11 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine and Turkey are preparing expansion of defense cooperation. The sides seek to establish cooperate in creation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), including unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV), the press service of the Ukroboronprom State Concern has reported.
At the 13th International Defense Industry Fair IDEF 2017 held in Istanbul on May 9 through May 12 Antonov State Enterprise (Kyiv) and Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) signed a memorandum of cooperation to design and manufacture various types of UAV, including UCAV, for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The new agreements have been signed with participation of Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) Oleksandr Turchynov.
TAI is a Turkish technological center for designing, manufacturing, integration, modernization and life cycle support of integrated aerospace systems.
Antonov state enterprise is the leading Ukrainian developer and manufacturer of aircraft, the recognized world’s leader in the niche of transport aircraft for wide purposes. The company cooperates with 76 countries. According to the government decision, Antonov has been part of Ukroboronprom state concern since April 2015.
Antonov is working on the creation of multifunctional operative and tactical unmanned aircraft system Horlytsia, which flight range is more than 1,000 km long. The delivery of new unmanned vehicles to the Armed Forces of Ukraine could start in 2018 if the financing is provided.
KYIV. May 11 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The Council of the European Union at the level of the Ministers of Agriculture and Fisheries at a meeting on May 11 supported the decision on the liberalization of the visa regime with Ukraine.
The ministers reviewed the relevant Regulation of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, which amends Regulation No. 539/2001, which specifies third countries whose citizens, when crossing external borders, must have a visa, and countries whose citizens are exempt from such a requirement (Ukraine).
“Ukrainian citizens with a biometric passport travelling to the EU for up to 90 days for business, tourist or family purposes will no longer need a visa,” the press service of the Council of the EU said in a statement on Thursday.
“These measures will not apply to Ireland and the United Kingdom, in accordance with the protocols annexed to the EU treaties. The visa regime of these member states remains subject to their national legislation,” the statement reads.
The decision takes effect within 20 days after it is published.
