Lithuania is an old partner of Ukraine in the political, economic and cultural areas. In particular, the two countries have actively been developing their business contacts: the two largest national business organizations – the Ukrainian League of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (ULIE) and the Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists – regularly join efforts to hold forums, B2B meetings, education trainings for Ukrainian businesses, and exhibitions.
Ukrainian manufacturers once again had an opportunity to establish business contacts at a meeting of the Lithuanian-Ukrainian Business Council in Vilnius on September 27-30, and some of them have already signed relevant contracts. For the first time the event has been held with the participation of the Chambers of Commerce of both countries, a large number of strong enterprises and small- and medium-sized businesses.
Representatives from such sectors as aircraft construction, food industry, consulting – Antonov Enterprise, Zhytomirsky Lasoshchi confectionery, UkrVodoKanalEcologiya, and the Exporters Club – discussed prospects for cooperation with partners.
The ULIE and the Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists signed an additional agreement foreseeing greater efforts in priority areas – arranging workshops to prepare Ukrainian companies for entering the EU markets and engaging Ukraine’s higher education institutions in cooperation under the ERASMUS+ programme. The agreement focuses on accelerating the adaptation of Ukrainian producers to the standards of the European market and Lithuania’s assistance in their successful entry into the highest possible number of EU national markets.
During the visit, Ukrainian delegates also participated in the 25th international exhibition Baltic Fashion & Textile Vilnius. This year Ukraine has for the first time had one booth shared by 30 Ukrainian enterprises. The event was attended by Prime Minister of Lithuania Algirdas Butkevicius, Ukrainian Deputy Minister for Economic Development and Trade and Trade Representative of Ukraine Nataliya Mykolska, and ULIE President Anatoliy Kinakh.
Among the Ukrainian producers that showcased their products were Rito (knitwear), VDone (men’s clothing), Duna Vesta (hosiery), Courtage (workwear), Mira 2007 (women’s clothing), TK-Domtex (textile goods), Mida (footwear), Elig (textile goods), and others.
The ULIE and the Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists will soon hold the second Ukraine-Lithuania business forum in Ukraine. The first forum, hosted by Vilnius in 2015, was attended by senior officials, business associations, and hundreds of entrepreneurs.
The European Union is not only a political and economic partner of Ukraine – close ties with the EU stipulated in the Association Agreement are also both a source and impetus to the transformation of the country, the acceleration of qualitative reforms in it. Presently, the EU accounts for 40% of our country’s foreign trade, its share of investment in Ukraine is significant.
However, the potential of this partnership is not used to the full extent. Many good initiatives and opportunities remain only declarations. And it is Ukraine that should be interested in their practical implementation most of all.
This was announced by President of the Ukrainian League of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Anatoliy Kinakh during panel discussions titled “International Cooperation: Ukraine-Europe” at the Kyiv International Economic Forum (KIEF).
“While politicians, diplomats conclude agreements on some issues, businesses both in Ukraine and in the EU continue interaction. And the results are good: the largest business association in Europe – BusinessEurope, which incorporates business associations from 40 countries, has become our partner. Ukrainian interests in Brussels are lobbied by Ukrainian entrepreneurs’ representative office, which was opened by the ULIE. Contacts with the European Parliament, the European Commission, and business structures are handled through it. And do you know what we hear there? – ‘We are ready to cooperate in the economic sphere much more efficiently, but Ukrainians must present a convincing program of cooperation in required areas,'” he said.
The ULIE believes that it is systematic, program-backed cooperation with European and other international partners that could be conducive to a considerable acceleration in the modernization of Ukraine’s economy, the upgrading of production facilities, their adaptation to international standards and technical regulations.
“It is wrong to say that someone is waiting for us somewhere. The rules of competition work everywhere in the same way; and it is natural when they are fair, transparent, and correspond to generally accepted principles. Both Ukraine and its entrepreneurs should be prepared for this. This means that their ‘homework’ should be done along with the effective use of partners’ assistance to develop and offer high-quality, competitive products,” Anatoliy Kinakh said.
The leader of the business community believes that Ukraine should more actively develop the IT sector, to create technological and industrial parks, using innovative technologies. The ULIE has been preparing grounds for the implementation of this idea in partnership with national industrial and business organizations. Only in recent months, a series of business forums have been held in Italy, Austria, and Lithuania. What is more, agreements with business organizations from Turkey, Italy, Canada, and Serbia have been signed.
Ukraine’s capital has hosted the Kyiv International Economic Forum, which was co-organized by the ULIE. Traditionally, this event gathered well-known Ukrainian and international economists, top managers from large corporations, companies, as well as industrialists, and small- and medium-sized entrepreneurs. The Forum was opened by Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman. In total, over 400 attendees visited the Forum this year, among them were General Director of the Directorate-General of the European Commission for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations Christian Danielsson, Ukrainian Minister for Economic Development and Trade Stepan Kubiv, Chairman of the Ukrainian parliamentary committee on industrial policy Viktor Halasyuk, ULIE President Anatoliy Kinakh, and well-known Norwegian economist Erik Steenfeldt Reinert.
The KIEF’s main goal is to develop a strategy for reforming Ukraine’s economy based on new approaches to education, science and development of priority sectors and “points of growth,” by consolidating representatives of businesses, the government and the expert community.
In addition, the Forum is a platform for holding business meetings and negotiations in the B2B format and signing new contracts. In particular, the ULIE strengthened its cooperation with the Turkish-Ukrainian Business Council, having signed a respective memorandum in the KIEF’s framework.
KYIV. Oct 13 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Head of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine Roman Nasirov and the Turkish delegation headed by Deputy Undersecretary of the Ministry of Customs and Trade Sezai Ucarmak have discussed the possibility of launching a joint pilot project of an electronic system of international road transportation (e-TIR) in Kyiv.
“The electronic system e-TIR provides exchange of electronic data between the national customs systems regarding international transit of goods in accordance with the provisions of the TIR Convention. For us this is one of the priorities for the coming years,” Nasirov said.
He said the parties agreed to establish a working group that will assess the possibilities of Ukraine and Turkey to launch the system.
In addition, the parties agreed to expand cooperation in exchange of experience and training in the field of canine, exchange of information and the fight against smuggling and violation of customs rules.
In addition, Turkish representatives expressed readiness to provide Ukraine with all the necessary assistance and support in the framework of implementation of the New Computerized Transit System (NCTS).
KYIV. Oct 13 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine’s State Property Fund (SPF) on Wednesday announced open auctions to sell property of Kostiantynivska and Myheiska hydroelectric powers plants (HPPs) located on the Southern Bug River.
The starting price of the plants is UAH 13.761 million and UAH 10.863 million respectively.
According to an announcement in the Vidomosti Pryvatyzatsii newspaper, the auction to sell Kostiantynivska HPP (Mykolaiv region) will be held on November 22 and that for Myheiska HPP (Mykolaiv region) – on November 24. Bids can be submitted until November 14 and November 16 respectively.
The fund said that Kostiantynivska HPP decreased electricity transmission by 21.6% in 2014, to 4.46 million kilowatt-hours (kWh), and in 2015 – by 15.7%, to 3.76 million kWh, while Myheiska HPP is idle now.
Among the conditions of the auctions is to retain the activity profile for five years – generation of power; a ban to fully block the creekbed and to take into account the conclusions and recommendations of environment audit in further operation of the plants.
KYIV. Oct 13 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Farmak seeks to supply contrast mediums for magnetic resonance and computer imaging to the Southeast Asian market.
“Why these products? The industry is moving to high-quality diagnostics, which can be applied for effective treatment,” Farmak Business Development Director Oleh Siarkevych has told Interfax-Ukraine.
He said that the company presented its contrast mediums on the Malaysian market as part of a Ukrainian delegation during the official visit of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko early August.
“We presented our most promising and modern products for magnetic resonance and computer imaging in Southeast Asia. We have registered them in all EU countries. The number of radiological clinics is growing in Southeast Asian quickly, as all over the world, and these products would be of great demand,” he said.
Siarkevych said that demand on contrast mediums in Ukraine is growing more slowly compared to other countries.
“For example, we have 80-85% fewer magnetic resonance and computer imaging equipment than all other European countries, even our closest neighbor – Poland,” he said.
As reported, as part of the official visit of Poroshenko to Malaysia the Ukrainian-Malaysian Business Forum was held early August. Ukrainian pharmaceutical manufacturers took part.
By 2020, the company plans to boost sales to $1 billion and reduce the share of its sales in Ukraine from 80% to 60% of total sales. The company plans to ensure 10% of its sales on well regulated eastern European and CIS markets.
KYIV. Oct 13 (Interfax-Ukraine) – U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) starts a new $20.6 million program aimed at supporting the Ukrainian agricultural sector and promoting the realization of the country’s potential in agriculture.
According to a press release of Ukraine’s Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry, Minister Taras Kutoviy gave the information after a meeting with USAID representatives.
“I have good news. I met new USAID Regional Mission Director to Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova Susan Fritz. Mrs. Fritz said that a new four-year USAID project to support agricultural and rural development earlier discussed by us with USAID representatives is launched,” the minister said.
The Agriculture and Rural Development Support (ARDS) will be implemented in the period from September 2016 until July 2020.
Kutoviy said that the goals and tasks of the program meet the common comprehensive strategy for developing agriculture and rural territories until 2020 and the comprehensive strategic plan of the ministry “three plus five.”
The ARDS Program will help to form better conditions for small and medium-sized farmers thanks to enhancing the institutional potential of the Ukrainian ministry in implementation of agricultural reforms, creation of transparent legal basis in land relations and the introduction of reforms to help to modernize irrigation systems.
The project would promote growth of exporting competitiveness of small and medium-sized vegetable, fruit, milk and meat producers via helping small and medium players to introduce international quality and food safety standards, export food to foreign markets and use opportunities under the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement.
The program is intended to support development of rural territories via expansion of opportunities for citizens to find jobs and get income, provision of help to concrete territorial communities in designing effect local economy development strategies and stimulating economic growth.
