The Motor (Transport) Insurance Bureau of Ukraine (MTIBU) has introduced new tariffs for Green Card policies for those traveling abroad by road from January 4, 2021.
According to a report on the bureau’s website, the MTIBU has recalculated the cost of Green Card insurance certificates upwards by an average of 3.8%.
The last change in tariffs was on October 19, 2020 upwards by 3.3%, on August 3, 2020 upwards by 3.1%, on July 24 by 3.8%, on June 16 by 3.5%.
Green Card policies have been implemented since 2009 of two types: all of Europe; Belarus, Moldova and Russia. Also, from January 1, 2016, the Ukrainian Green Card policies began to operate on the territory of Azerbaijan.
According to the MTIBU, the cost of Green Card in Ukraine for 15 days for travel in Europe for passenger cars increases to UAH 846 (previously UAH 815), for buses to UAH 3,180 (UAH 3,062), for trucks to UAH 1,996 (UAH 1,922).
The cost of Green Card for one month for cars is now UAH 1,347 (previously UAH 1,297), for buses UAH 4,417 (UAH 4,253), for trucks – UAH 2,650 (UAH 1,922).
The cost of semi-annual and annual Green Card policies for cars is UAH 5,083 and UAH 7,406 respectively, for buses – UAH 15,461 and UAH 28,514, for trucks – UAH 12,546 and UAH 23,678 respectively.
PrJSC Centravis Production Ukraine, part of Centravis Ltd, doubled EBITDA in 2020 compared to the previous year, to EUR 14 million.
Chief Financial Officer Alexandre Joseph said at an online press conference of Centravis on Friday that the production of stainless pipes last year decreased by 9.3% compared to the previous year, to about 19,050 tonnes.
In 2021, it is planned to produce 17,500 tonnes of products.
CEO of the company Yuriy Atanasov said that a decrease in pipe production is planned as a result of a change in strategy, as well as a reduction in production capacity and personnel by 20-25% due to the fall of markets in 2020 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
At the same time, he said that 2020 was a difficult year for the company due to lockdowns and falling demand. For Centravis, the fall in oil prices in early 2020 was significant, as this also affected suppliers of stainless pipes for the oil and gas industry. At the same time, during the spring lockdown in many countries, the company even increased its supply, but in the summer there was a decrease, in connection with which it had to cut production and staff. “We took an unprecedented step, we offered severance pay in the amount of from three to six salaries, depending on the length of service of employees, spending more than UAH 15 million on this, which is very significant for our company,” Atanasov said.
In a press release published by the company on Friday, it is stated that in 2020 Centravis has continued to develop sales in all regions of the world. The company supplies seamless pipes to the European Union, the Middle East, Latin America, Eastern Europe, the United States, India, Australia, Japan, Canada, and other regions and countries.
Among the key clients of Centravis in 2020 are Buhlmann Group, Damstahl GmbH, ThyssenKrupp, Salzgitter AG, and Karl Mertl Handelsges. The company has completed a number of large-scale orders for such global companies as Bousted International Heaters, Stainalloy Nederland, and Buhlmann Group.
“Last year has tested the strength of everyone without exception. I think we have coped with all the challenges. Our team has managed to adapt. We have improved our products and helped our customers to solve their problems. But most importantly, we have strengthened our stability and are ready to develop in 2021,”Atanasov said.
According to him, focus on product quality and high customer service has helped Centravis maintain a stable position among the world’s best manufacturers of seamless pipes.
Centravis Production Ukraine is the only specialized enterprise for the production of seamless stainless steel pipes in the CIS and the leading exporter in its segment.
Over 14,000 Ukrainian companies annually export their products to the European Union, said Minister of Economy Ihor Petrashko.
“Over 14,000 companies annually export their products to the EU. And as of mid-January, 362 companies producing animal products have the right to export their products to the EU, which is subject to the most stringent requirements from the EU,” the press service of the ministry quoted Petrashko as saying in the release on Friday.
Reforms in technical regulation, public procurement, sanitary and phytosanitary standards, as well as improving the product safety control system, customs, intellectual property protection system will allow to remove barriers to trade and provide more free access to the EU internal market for Ukrainian companies, the minister said.
“Today we see that we are ready to go further in our European aspirations,” Petrashko added.
Imports of fresh or chilled fish in 2020 in physical terms increased by one third compared to the previous year, from 23,000 tonnes to 30,000 tonnes, and in U.S. dollar terms it grew by 15.4%, from $141 million to $162 million, the State Customs Service has reported. At that time, according to the data, the import of frozen fish in the past year amounted to 271,000 tonnes worth $365 million, decreasing by 5.1% and 3.1%, respectively.
Due to a general reduction in imports, the share of fresh or chilled fish of it in 2020 increased to 0.30% from 0.23% a year earlier, frozen – from 0.62% to 0.67%, the State Customs Service said.
According to the data, the export of frozen fish in 2020 amounted to only 440 tonnes for $1.1 million, having almost halved.
The State Customs Service said that the largest three countries-suppliers of fresh and chilled fish to Ukraine are Norway with the share of 82%, Turkey with 9% and Iceland with 4%, frozen – the United States with 19%, Iceland with 18%, and Norway with 14%.
In addition, in physical terms the import of fish fillets and other fish meat, dried, salted and smoked fish, crayfish and molluscs grew by 16.9%, to 58,700 tonnes, in money terms – by 20.1% to $152.7 million.
Most of all, the import of crustaceans increased – to 11,500 tonnes and to $55 million, or by 57.4% and 42.6%, respectively.
At the same time, fish fillets and other fish meat remained the main export product in this industry for Ukraine – 3,800 tonnes for $26.3 million, which is 2.5% and 13.4% higher than in 2019, respectively.
The deficit of Ukraine’s foreign trade in goods in January-November 2020 decreased 58.6% compared to January-November 2019, to $3.897 billion from $9.417 billion, the State Statistics Service reported on Thursday.
According to its data, the export of goods from Ukraine for the reporting period compared to the same period in 2019 fell by 3.5%, to $44.347 billion, imports narrowed by 12.9%, to $48.244 billion.
The State Statistics Service said that in November, compared with October 2020, the seasonally adjusted export volume increased 2.5%, to $4.374 billion, imports grew by 4.3%, to $4.791 billion.
The seasonally adjusted foreign trade balance in November 2020 posted a deficit and amounted to $0.417 billion, a month earlier it also showed a deficit being $0.323 billion.
The ratio of exports to imports in January-April of this year amounted to 0.92 (in January-November-2019 it was 0.83).
The State Statistics Service said that foreign trade operations were carried out with partners from 232 countries.
The Ukrainian Embassy has opened a 24-hour hotline line to provide possible assistance to citizens of Ukraine in Indonesia, where a powerful earthquake occurred, spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Oleh Nikolenko said.
“A powerful earthquake happened on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. To provide possible assistance to Ukrainian citizens, the Ukrainian embassy has opened a 24-hour hotline: +62 87 88 48 90 918. There is still no information about the injured Ukrainians,” Nikolenko wrote on Twitter on Friday.
