ISD Polska, the structure of Industrial Union of Donbas (ISD), has said it considers Metinvest Group as the most acceptable and promising option for the bankrupt Huta Czestochowa still mill in Poland.
ISD Polska Board Chairman Konstanty Litwinow by telephone from Poland on Friday told the Interfax-Ukraine that Metinvest is the most optimal potential investor involved in new proposals in the bankruptcy lawsuit of the Polish metal enterprise.
Litvinov did not specify new circumstances and requirements for potential investors of the steel mill, but noted that Metinvest has long been interested.
“They have long been interested in the enterprise. They visited us, did due diligence, so they have a complete picture of the situation,” he said.
Litwinow said for Metinvest the acquisition of the Polish steel mill is a logical continuation of the chain for the production of metallurgical products, which can be sold on the European market.
“Previously, there was a chain with the Alchevsk Steel Works (currently located in Russia-occupied Donbas). But there were no mining enterprises in the chain, and the coke and chemical division was insufficient. But Metinvest has all this. Therefore, gaining control over this the plant is logical and is the completion of the full metallurgical cycle for the supply of products to the EU,” Litwinow said.
He did not specify whether additional negotiations on this topic were held with Metinvest, but said relevant information was sent to potential investors.
Litvinov said a court decision is expected next week regarding investor Huta Czestochowa, which will mainly determine further actions.
Litvinov said earlier that a potential buyers of Huta Częstochowa is Chinese company Sunningwell International Polska, which offered the company 240 million zlotys (about $60 million). At the same time, there are several more companies that are also interested in the steel mill.
As reported, the ISD signed a purchase agreement for the Huta Czestochowa steel mill in early July 2005.
ISD, founded in 1995, is an integrated holding company that holds shares in metal and mining companies. It incorporates Alchevsk Steel Works, Dzerzhynsky Dniprovsky Steel Works, Dunaferr and ISD-Huta Czestochowa.
The Irish low cost airline Ryanair (Dublin) will start flying on the Lviv-Budapest (Hungary) route from April 2020, the airline has told Interfax-Ukraine. Flights will be operated twice a week.
“Customers in Lviv can now book seats on flights to Budapest until October 2020, and our full schedule for the summer of 2020 will be announced shortly,” the press service said citing Ryanair Chief Commercial Officer David O’Brien.
According to data in the reservation system on Ryanair’s website, the price of tickets starts from EUR 10 one way, taking into account transportation of small cabin baggage.
Earlier, the Hungarian low cost airline Wizz Air announced its intention in June 2020 to launch direct flights from Kharkiv and Lviv to Budapest.
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) has said that the full switch to the international bank account number (IBAN) could be postponed for two months – until January 1, 2020, Deputy NBU Governor Serhiy Kholod has said. “The final meeting will be held before October 1. If there are blocking factors for migration from November 1 to the full use of IBAN among the entire banking system, including the treasury, banks will be notified,” he said at a round table organized by the Financial Club on Tuesday.
“Now the decision has not been made, so the previous resolution is in force, which requires everyone to switch to using IBAN only from November 1. However, there is a likelihood of postponing the migration for two months,” Kholod said.
As reported, in Ukraine, on August 5, the introduction of IBAN began. New accounts according to the IBAN standard will consist of 29 alphanumeric characters, set out in the following sequence: Ukraine code (UA), control digit (two digits), bank code (six digits), account number.
A bill on tax amnesty No.1232, which envisages a mechanism for individuals to declare hidden income voluntarily, provides for tax rates of 5% and 10%, as well as a discounted 2.5% when investing in government bonds, according to the document posted on the website of Verkhovna Rada.
Under the document, a tax rate of 5% is provided for currency values, personal and real estate, securities, equity shares in the property of legal entities, property rights to intellectual property and financial instruments.
For other property rights, a rate of 10% is provided, and a discounted rate of 2.5% is incurred from the assets through which the government bonds were acquired.
The deadlines for submitting special declarations are from January 1 to March 31, 2020, according to the bill.
Within 90 days after March 31, 2020, regulatory authorities will be able to conduct an expert assessment of the assets declared in a specialized declaration, determining the amount of tax liability, reads an explanatory note to the bill, also published on the website of the parliament.
Incomes in the amount of UAH 100,000 will be subject of amnesty without submitting a specialized declaration, without requiring them to pay taxes and without tax audits of the sources of their receipt.
Moreover, it is not necessary to indicate the sources of declared income in the special declaration, according to the bill.
As reported, head of the parliamentary committee on finance, taxation and customs policy Danylo Hetmantsev registered the bill on September 2, 2019. According to Hetmantsev, thanks to tax amnesty a number of shady incomes and capital outflow abroad should be reduced.
Bayadera Group, one of the largest alcohol companies in the Ukrainian market, launches its own network of alcoholic stores Wine Wine by Winehouse.
According to the company’s press release, within three years the company plans to open up to ten wholesale stores selling wine and other alcoholic drinks in the wholesales format in Kyiv, and only then create a network in the cities with the population exceeding one million people.
The company noted that this business decision was made in connection with a change in consumer behavior in the market.
“We offer customers to build up alcohol stocks at home, as it is done with food or household cleaning products. Ukrainian consumers are ready for this: for example, successful “1+1″ sales or case wine sales testify about this. Wholesale purchases and the creation of home stocks will be prompted by the store’s price offers,” Bayadera Group’s director for development Yevhenia Shatalova said.
Bayadera Group believes that the potential audience for wholesale purchases is also the B2B segment, but the lion’s share will be final consumers.
According to the company, the next step will be the development of the Wine Wine educational program. Soon, a tasting room, and later a wine bar, will begin to function in the territory of the store.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accepted credentials from ambassadors of some foreign states: Estonia – Kaimo Kuusk, France – Etienne de Poncins, Austria – Gernot Pfandler, the Netherlands – H. E. Jennes de Mol, the United Kingdom – Melinda Simmons, the press service of the head of state has reported.
During a conversation with Estonian Ambassador Kuusk, an active political dialogue was noted between the two countries. Zelensky expressed gratitude to Estonia for the decision not to recognize Russian passports that are illegally issued to Ukrainian citizens in Donbas.
“I want to thank you, the government and the president for Estonia’s tough reaction to the issue of passports of the Russian Federation in the temporarily occupied territories,” he said.
The head of state expressed hope for enhancing trade, economic and investment cooperation with Estonia. Significant potential for cooperation in the areas of digitalization and e-governance was also noted.
During a conversation with Austrian Ambassador Pfandler, Zelensky thanked Austria for its continued support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, as well as for practical assistance to the Ukrainian state in overcoming the consequences of Russian aggression.
“I would also like to thank Austria for the powerful sanctions policy towards Russia,” the president of Ukraine said.
Zelensky also thanked Austria for helping to rehabilitate the children of ATO participants.
“I know that about 500 children of ATO participants received rehabilitation assistance from your country,” he said.
The parties agreed on the need to intensify the political and economic dialogue between Ukraine and Austria.
