KYIV. July 12 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine International Airlines (UIA, Kyiv), the largest Ukrainian airlines, believes that the aviation market with eastern countries should be liberalized, UIA President Yuriy Miroshnikov has said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
“The European market is enough liberalized. Dear managers of the sector, use your liberalization efforts in the East. There are examples of liberal approach, such as Georgia, Kazakhstan, and tough regulation and resistance – Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, partially Iran, Jordan and Lebanon,” he said.
Miroshnikov is confident that without solving the issues in the East it would be difficult to use Ukraine’s transit potential.
KYIV. July 12 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Canada’s Esterline CMC Electronics has signed contracts with Kyiv-based Antonov State Enterprise to supply avionics for promising Ukrainian aircraft: modernized transport An-124-100 Ruslan aircraft of Antonov Airlines and An-148/158/178 multipurpose next generation jets.
Information about the signing of the contracts was published by the Canadian company on Monday at the Farnborough International Airshow Trade 2016 opened near London.
Esterline CMC Electronics said in a press release that under the terms of the first contract, Esterline CMC Electronics will supply its avionics for the upgrade of seven An-124 aircraft and avionics for sixty new An-148/158/178 aircraft for commercial and military use.
According to Antonov’s information presented in June after the signing of the contracts, the Canadian company will supply multi-function displays and flight management systems. The equipment will be delivered by late June 2021.
Under the contract, equipment made by CMC Electronics adapted for Antonov aircraft will be certified by the Canadian company at Transport Canada and will meet western standards and requirements. This is an important factor for the further certification of the aircraft in line with European requirements, Antonov said.
State-run Antonov company, the leading Ukrainian aircraft manufacturer, became part of Ukroboronprom in April 2015 under a government decision.
KYIV. July 12 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The agreement on a free trade area between Ukraine and Canada since the moment of taking force after its ratification by parliaments of the two countries would reduce imports duties for 98% of Ukrainian imported goods and for 72% of Canadian exports to nil, Ukraine’s Economic Development and Trade Ministry has reported.
“Imports duties on agricultural goods will be lifted at once (apart from 108 tariff lines and the access to them will be opened with quota) and all industrial goods (apart from passengers cars with a seven year transition period for revoking of imports duties),” the ministry said.
The ministry noted that for 22 groups of agricultural goods (108 tariff lines, including wheat, barley, dairy products, poultry and turkey, eggs and egg products, beef, pork and margarine) Ukrainian exporters will be able to supply them at a zero imports duty only as part of Canada’s global quotas.
“The exceptions… are severe. Three wide groups of goods were fully removed from free trade: poultry, eggs and dairy products. Canada does not give us any preferences for them. All possible goods made of milk (cheese, ice cream, for example) are excluded, while the EU opened this market for us,” business envoy at the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine Taras Kachka said.
He said that these groups are sensitive for Canada, as trade with these goods is strictly regulated at the national level. These goods are also removed from the free trade area agreement between Canada and the EU, apart from the additional cheese quota.
The ministry said that the free trade area agreement between Ukraine and Canada foresees gradual elimination of imports duties on Canadian agricultural products: within three years for live poultry and sheep, beef, lamb, nuts, sauces, flour products; within five years – sub-products from pigs, oilseeds, fat, vegetable oil and within seven years – cooled pork and poultry, milk, cream, eggs honey, vegetable and sausages.
The partial liberalization in the form of cutting imports duties will apply to Canadian fat, cheese, margarine and mixtures. For example, imports duties for some goods made of poultry would be decreased only by 20% within seven years.
The tariff quotas for frozen pork and salo, and sugar (eight positions) will be removed from the free trade regime.
As for industrial goods, Canada introduces a seven-year transition period for revoking duties only for some positions of passenger cars, while Ukraine: a three-year period for construction materials, industrial equipment and parts of aircraft, a five-year period for electric equipment, light pipes, motorcycles, trailers, vessels, photo cameras and a seven-year period for cars, tractors and spare parts for them.
“Among key Ukrainian products that would receive advantages from the duty-free access to the Canadian market in the short-term outlook are sunflower oil, sugar, confectionary and chocolate, alcohol and beer, juices, clothes, ceramics, metal products and chemicals. The agreement would promote cooperation in the aircraft building sector,” the ministry said, predicting a 3.5% rise in exports thanks to the removing the duty.
The ministry also pointed out the beneficial access to the participation in public procurement at the governmental level of the two countries, liabilities linked to protection of intellectual property rights and receiving technical assistance from Ottawa for the effective implementation of the free trade area agreement.
1 Excluding the temporarily occupied territories, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the city of Sevastopol and part of the anti-terrorist operation zone. 2 Data may be revised. Source: State Statistics Service
KYIV. July 11 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Representatives of the investment and IT markets have appealed to President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko for state support for the idea of setting up “a fund of funds” to invest in the existing and newly established venture capital funds and IT startups.
“It was suggested referring to the European Investment Fund, which invests in venture capital funds and other international institutions, implementing this model,” reads a statement of the Ukrainian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (UVCA) after a meeting with Poroshenko.
According to the UVCA, the creation of such a model of “a fund of funds” will stimulate the development of the national venture capital and IT industries and allow obtaining funds by 2,500 existing startups, of which, according to the association, only 66 attracted investments in the past year.
Participants in the meeting also expressed the idea of creating a state institute responsible for innovation policy in Ukraine following the form of the Office of the Chief Scientist in Israel.
In addition, IT business representatives asked to assist in simplifying conditions for obtaining working visa for foreign professionals, stopping undue pressure on IT enterprises by law enforcement agencies and creating favourable fiscal conditions for conducting innovative activity in Ukraine.
KYIV. July 11 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Antonov State Enterprise (Kyiv), a leading Ukrainian designer and manufacturer of aircraft, seeks to expand the circle of partners under the imports replacement program during its participation in Farnborough International Airshow Trade 2016 to be held on July 11 through July 17, 2016 near London, the press service of the enterprise has said.
“The main purpose of Antonov’s participation in the fair is searching for new partners and development of existing cooperation under the imports replacement program,” Antonov President Oleksandr Kotsiuba said.
Antonov will exhibit new transport An-178 aircraft with a carrying capacity of 18 tonnes at Farnborough 2016. The plane will take part in demo flights program and it will be presented at the static display. On July 7, 2016, multipurpose transport aircraft An−178 flew from Kyiv to Farnborough, Hampshire, the press service said.
Antonov will present other its modern programs in segments of transport, regional passenger and special-purpose aircraft.
According to Interfax-Ukraine’s information, Antonov is holding talks with European countries of the Alliance on joint development of the An-178 program.
