Ukraine and the European Union have agreed on further economic integration and regulatory convergence in a number of areas.
A joint statement by the leaders of Ukraine and the EU, adopted at the end of the summit in Brussels on Tuesday, says.
“We looked forward to further enhancing economic integration and regulatory approximation within the framework of the Association Agreement in the following fields: on digital, we took note of the on-site assessment of the implementation of Ukraine’s commitments in the AA/DCFTA. We also discussed the EU’s engagement in further supporting Ukraine and its institutions in approximation with and gradual implementation of the EU Digital Single Market acquis and institutional capacities, to fully benefit from the Association Agreement. We agreed to prepare by the end of 2020 a joint working plan for co-operation between EU and Ukraine on electronic trust services with a view to a possible agreement which must be based on approximation to the EU legislation and standards,” the statement reads.
The leaders welcomed progress on the update of the Annexes on telecommunication, environment, climate and financial cooperation of the Association Agreement. “Welcoming Ukraine’s ambition to approximate its policies and legislation with the European Green Deal, we stressed the importance of progress in Ukraine’s commitments in the areas of climate change, environment, marine ecosystem, education, energy, transport and agriculture, building on existing established sectoral dialogues, and agreed on a focused dialogue on the necessary steps in these areas,” the statements says.
In addition, they acknowledged the importance of fully complying with DCFTA commitments, notably in the areas of intellectual property rights, public procurement, trade defence, and sanitary and phytosanitary standards with a view to building an open and predictable business and investment climate in Ukraine. “We agreed to further discuss and review the ways to improve DCFTA implementation in order to further develop and facilitate bilateral trade,” the leaders said.
They also welcomed the launch of the pre-assessment on Ukraine’s preparedness on an Agreement on Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of Industrial Products.
The EU also welcomed Ukraine’s willingness to associate to the incoming EU’s Research and Innovation Framework Programme Horizon Europe and EU4Health Programme, which will be a significant enabler for green and digital post-COVID recovery.
“We recalled the importance and reaffirmed our commitment to concluding the Common Aviation Area Agreement at the earliest possible date,” the statement notes.
What is more, the EU reaffirmed Ukraine’s role as a strategic transit country for gas and welcomed the agreement on gas transit to the EU after 2019. “We underlined the importance of pursuing the modernization of the Ukrainian national gas transmission system and further cooperation on strengthening European energy security. We stressed the importance of Ukraine’s cooperation with the EU, with a view to its integration with the EU energy market based on effective implementation of the updated Annex XXVII of the Association Agreement as well as coordination of further steps for the integration of gas and electricity markets,” it says.
The parties also agreed to improve connectivity between Ukraine, the EU and other countries of the Eastern Partnership with a view to facilitating trade, further developing safe and sustainable transport links and supporting people-to-people contacts.
“We welcomed the participation of Ukraine in EU programmes and underlined the importance of Erasmus+ for education, training, youth and sport and Creative Europe for culture. We looked forward to intensifying the relevant cooperation in the framework of current and future programmes,” the leaders said.
The Motor (Transport) Insurance Bureau of Ukraine (MTIBU) paid UAH 104.1 million for the owners of uninsured vehicles, which were involved in road accidents without a valid compulsory civil liability insurance of land vehicle owners (OSAGO) policy in January-September 2020, which is 23.5% more than in the same period a year earlier.
The bureau said that the number of payments for uninsured drivers from the victim protection fund of MTIBU increased 22%, to 2,946.
According to MTIBU, the reason lies in a combination of several factors: the low standard of living of Ukrainian citizens, the decline in economic activity caused by the pandemic, insufficient financial culture of the population, the irresponsibility of some drivers and the lack of effective mechanisms to control the availability of OSAGO policies.
In addition, an obstacle to improving the situation is that the employees of the National Police have the right to check the availability of the OSAGO policy only in case of violation of the traffic rules by the driver or if they got into an accident. Also in Ukraine, in contrast to many European countries, the introduction of automatic recording of the availability of OSAGO policies remains at the level of a promising idea, the bureau said.
“After in February 2019, the State Border Guard Service began to automatically check the presence and validity of the Green Card insurance certificate for each driver traveling abroad.., almost immediately we noted a significant increase in the number of concluded international Green Card insurance contracts (by 30-40% monthly),” Director General of MTIBU Volodymyr Shevchenko said, whose words are quoted in the report.
According to him, it is necessary to introduce in a similar way for an automated check of the availability of internal OSAGO policies, which will solve the problem of uninsured drivers on the country’s roads. This requires joint efforts of the legislature, the regulator and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
According to the report, the number and amount of payments for drivers of privileged categories also increased in January-September 2020. The number of such payments increased by 12.8%, the amount – by 24.9%, to UAH 26.8 million.
During three quarters of this year, the bureau paid UAH 153.9 million from the MTIBU victim protection fund, to which all insurers-members of the bureau make monthly contributions, which is 2.8% less than in the corresponding period last year. The number of payments decreased 13.8%, to 4,500. Such dynamics was caused by a decrease in the volume of payments for bankrupt insurers and payments via returning the base guarantee contribution of the insurer.
British-based Ferrexpo plc, which controls in Ukraine, in particular, Poltava and Yeristovo mining and processing plants (GOK), in January-September 2020 increased total production of pellets by 3% compared to the same period in 2019, to 8.134 million tonnes.
According to a press release, total production of pellets with 65% Fe (iron content), including a trial shipment of Ferrexpo Direct Reduction pellets with 67% Fe in the first half of 2020, amounted to 8.036 million tonnes (up by 6%) for the period, with 62% Fe some 98,000 tonnes (a decrease by 68%).
At the same time, production of pellets from third-party raw materials was not carried out.
In Q3, 2020, total pellet production decreased by 12% compared to Q2, 2020, to 2.537 million tonnes from 2.873 million tonnes due to the planned repair of the pelletiser in early September 2020. In Q3 no pellets with 62% Fe were produced.
“Ferrexpo’s operations continued to operate with minimal impact during Q3, 2020 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The company continues to ensure all appropriate precautions are being followed for the health and wellbeing of its workforce, including the company’s own programs testing for the COVID-19 virus and associated antibodies,” the document reads.
“The company’s additional concentrator section was completed in Q3, 2020, with commissioning and ramp up of this additional processing capacity to progress in Q4, 2020,” it says.
State-controlled PrivatBank in January-August 2020 continues to top the list of profitable Ukrainian banks with a financial result of UAH 18.39 billion, while the largest loss since April 2020 has been recorded by state-owned Ukreximbank (UAH 1.88 billion), according to the data on the website of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU).
According to the report, Oschadbank ranked second among the most profitable banks in Ukraine as earlier (UAH 4.44 billion), Raiffeisen Bank Aval ranked third (UAH 2.7 billion), as before, FUIB ranked fourth (UAH 1.85 billion), and OTP Bank ranked fifth (UAH 1.31 billion).
The second position in the list of the most unprofitable banks in January-August continues is occupied by Prominvestbank (PIB, UAH 726.4 million), and Bank Arcada moved to the third position (UAH 444.63 million), which from August 25 was declared insolvent and from September 24 is under liquidated.
Bank Credit Dnipro (UAH 177.19 million) moved from the third to fourth position in the list of the most unprofitable banks, and Pravex Bank (UAH 116.03 million) moved from fourth to fifth, according to the National Bank’s statements.
In the eight months of 2020, solvent banks in Ukraine received UAH 32.64 billion of net profit, which is 26.3% less than in the same period of 2019 (UAH 44.29 billion), in particular state banks declared UAH 21.63 billion (66.3% of profit), banks with foreign capital UAH 7.6 billion (23.3%) and with private capital some UAH 3.41 billion (10.4%).
During this period, 61 out of 75 banks operating in Ukraine were profitable, according to the NBU data.
DTEK Kyiv Region Grids in the six months of 2020 connected 297 household solar power plants to the networks, thereby increasing the number of such plants in the region by 16.8%, to 2,082.
According to the press service of the company, Kyiv region is one of the five leaders, where the largest number of household solar plants is installed.
According to Vitaliy Shaida, the director general of DTEK Kyiv Region Grids, the largest number of “green” energy producers are in Kyiv-Sviatoshynsky districts with 344 stations, Brovary district with 263 plants and Boryspil district with 235 stations.
As reported, Ukrainian households had installed more than 25,600 solar panels as of July 1, 2020. The total capacity of all solar plants is 658 MW. The leaders in the number of solar power plants also became Dnipropetrovsk region (3,398), Ternopil region (2,200), Ivano-Frankivsk region (1,900), and Zakarpattia region (1,600).
In the first half of 2020, some 1,330 new private solar power plants were connected to the distribution system operators of DTEK Grids. Thus, as of July 1, 2020, the total number of private solar power plants connected to DTEK Grids is 7,220 objects, which is 28% of the total number of prosumers in Ukraine.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) could provide a senior loan of up to EUR 25 million to the communal company Dnipro Municipal Energy Servicing Company (Dniprovska Municipalna Energoservisna Kompanya, the city of Dnipro) for energy efficiency investments in 98 public buildings, including 67 kindergartens, 27 schools and 4 outpatient clinics.
“The investments are expected to result in strong improvement of buildings’ condition through renovation of facilities and meeting heating requirements, improved comfort level and reliability of services at kindergartens, schools and clinics, as well as reduction of energy and maintenance costs of the buildings and decrease of CO2 emissions,” the bank said on Tuesday.
The project is pending of the decision of the EBRD board on October 13.
According to the document, the loan maturity is up to 13 years, including up to three years grace, with 20 equal semi-annual repayments. The loan will be secured by a full municipal guarantee from the city.
The loan is expected to be co-financed by up to EUR 5.5 million investment grant from the Eastern Europe Energy Efficiency and Environment Partnership (E5P), subject to grant approval by the E5P Assembly of Contributors.
The local contribution of up to EUR 2.5 million will cover additional energy conservation measures and capital repairs.
The EBRD said that the loan will be a sub-project under the Public Sector Energy Efficiency Financing Framework (PSEEF), consisting of municipal-guaranteed loans to municipal energy management companies in Ukraine to facilitate critical improvements in energy efficiency measures in public buildings in a number of cities across Ukraine.
