KYIV. Jan 4 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The agreement on a deep and comprehensive free trade area (FTA) between Ukraine and the European Union on January 1, 2016 came into force after a one-year pause the parties took at Russia’s request for consultations with the country, which failed.
The document was signed on June 27, 2014 as part of the broader Association Agreement.
According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, the FTA eliminates 97% of tariffs on Ukrainian goods and reduces the average tariff on Ukrainian exports from 7.6% to 0.5%.
As for the reduction of import duties on European products, Deputy Economic Minister, Trade Representative of Ukraine Natalia Mykolska has recently stated the entry into force of the FTA would not lead to a large inflow of European goods.
“The Ministry of Economic Development and Trade jointly with the National Bank have developed a forecast for the development of the Ukrainian market after the entry into force of the FTA Agreement with the EU. According to our data, there won’t be a collapse of the national goods market and a huge influx of European goods,” she assured.
MINSK. Dec 30 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The action plan of Minsk and Kyiv to lift restrictive measures in mutual trade was agreed at the second meeting of the Ukrainian-Belarusian high level working group in Minsk on Monday, the press service of the Foreign Ministry of Belarus has reported.
“At the meeting the sides agreed the action plan to lift restriction in mutual trade, including the decision of Ukraine to introduce a special duty of 39.2% on some Belarusian goods exported to Ukraine from January 20, 2016,” the press service said.
First Deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus Alexander Michnevich headed the working group from Belarus and Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Trade Representative of Ukraine Natalia Mykolska headed the group from Ukraine.
Mykolska said that on December 26, 2015 the Ukrainian president signed the law on measures to stimulate foreign economic operations that revokes the additional imports duty from January 1, 2016.
KYIV. Dec 30 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry of Ukraine has informed that ten companies received permits to supply dairy products to the European Union (EU).
“The European Commission published the decision on the inclusion of our milk and dairy companies into the official list of authorized exporters to the EU. The permit will take effect on January 10, 2016,” Deputy Agricultural Policy and Food Minister for European Integration Vladyslava Rutytska wrote on her Facebook page.
The permits were issued to Lustdorf, Molochniy Dim, Yahotyn Butter Factory, Lactalis-Mykoliav, Hadiachsyr, private enterprise Ros – branch of Romny Dairy Factory, Zolotonosha Butter Factory, private enterprise Prometey Consulting Firm – branch of Mena Cheese, Lviv cold store complex and Zhytomyr Butter Factory.
KYIV. Dec 29 (Interfax-Ukraine) – PJSC Azovelektrostal (Mariupol, Donetsk region), part of Azovmashinvest Holding, in the framework of commissioning works on the launch of the main equipment after a year of inactivity has conducted test smelting in the DSP-25 furnace, making the first three of the twelve parts ordered by ArcelorMittal Algeria.
“According to the production plan for December, the manufacture of the most massive and the most difficult article – a 5.4 m diameter cone – is scheduled for December 27-28,” the press service said citing director general of the plant Oleksiy Popov.
In addition, the plant is working on more than 20 orders for the production of castings for heavy mechanical engineering in cooperation with PJSC Azovzahalmash, and this is more than 700 tonnes of finished products for domestic and foreign steel companies.
The plant continues preparatory work for the launch of a molding line for the production of large wagon casting, which is to be automatically launched in late January-February 2016.
According to a press release, Azovelektrostal from December 23 also started the reorganization of the staff structure of the enterprise to bring the number of employees in compliance with the current production targets of the plant.
KYIV. Dec 29 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine’s Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk has signed a financial agreement to raise a EUR 400 million loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) for projects in the agricultural sector, the press service of the government said on Monday.
The agreement secures a EUR 400 million loan for the term of 12 years with a four-year grace period to finance projects in cereals and oil seeds cultivation, modernization of fisheries and aquaculture in Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Finance acts as the borrower. Together with the Agrarian Policy and Food Ministry and Ukreximbank, it will select projects and monitor their implementation.
EIB loans can be used to cover up to 50% of the projects’ cost; the rest of the funds will come from the banks participating in the projects and ultimate beneficiaries. The implementation of the project will allow accumulating EUR 800 million of financial resources.
KYIV. Dec 29 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine’s 2016 national budget envisages UAH 156 million for reconstruction of equipment and construction of the new gas purification system at the Energia incineration plant in Kyiv, and the cost of the completion of the reconstruction in general is assessed at UAH 362 million today, the Kyiv City Administration said on Monday, referring to Deputy Administration Head Petro Panteleyev.
“UAH 156 million from the 2016 national budget is foreseen as part of the EU assistance program. However, UAH 206 million is required to complete the works,” Panteleyev said during his visit to the plant.
He said that at present Kyiv authorities are actively working on the attraction of funds to reconstruct the Energia incineration plant.
Panteleyev said that in 2015, the plant burnt 80,000 tonnes of household waste more than in 2014, and it is planned to increase the figure thanks to the expansion of the capacity of the plant.
