The Franco-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIFU) gathered CCIFU members, diplomats, friends and partners in Kyiv at the Parkovy Exhibition and Convention Center for its traditional annual Beaujolais Nouveau charity event. For the second year in a row, CCIFU will support the UNBROKEN Ukraine Foundation and its project “Prostheses for the unbroken”.
This year, the Franco-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry also celebrates an important anniversary – 30 years of activity in Ukraine!
The event was held under the high patronage and with the participation of the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to Ukraine, Mr. Gael Vessier, and gathered about a thousand guests.
Every year, on the third Thursday of November, all of France celebrates Beaujolais Nouveau, a festival of young wine that marks the end of the grape harvest and the beginning of a new wine year.
At this time, in the small Beaujolais region, located in the north of Lyon, one of the first grapes to ripen is the Gamay variety, which is black with white flesh.
Beaujolais nouveau wine is different from other wines in that it goes on sale immediately after the fermentation process, six weeks after harvest, and is stored for no more than six months. The tradition of this celebration was born in 1951.
The Franco-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Ukraine (Chambre de commerce française en Ukraine, CCIFU) is a non-profit association designed to promote the growth of French companies’ investments in the Ukrainian economy and create favorable conditions for the development of French companies present on the Ukrainian market or wishing to start their business in Ukraine.
The Franco-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Ukraine unites more than 130 companies from the agricultural sector (Limagrain[en], Euralis, Mas Seeds), banking (Credit Agricole, Ukrsibbank), automotive industry (Renault, Michelin), machine building (Schneider Electric), hospitality (InterContinental Kyiv), tourism and entertainment (France Groupe, Club Med), healthcare (Sanofi), transportation (Air France), trade and other services (Auchan, L’Oreal, Chanel, Danone, Lactalis, Leroy Merlin).
In January-November of this year, Zaporizhstal Iron and Steel Works increased its rolled steel output by 18.65% year-on-year to 2 million 192.6 thousand tons from 1 million 847.9 thousand tons.
According to the company, steel production for the period increased by 18.6% to 2 million 645.3 thousand tons, and pig iron production by 15% to 2 million 821.6 thousand tons.
In November, Zaporizhstal produced 259.6 thousand tons of iron, 227.3 thousand tons of steel, and shipped 191.4 thousand tons of rolled products.
It is also recalled that in 2023, the plant operated at an average of 70% of its capacity.
As reported, in 2023, Zaporizhstal increased its rolled steel output by 57.2% compared to 2022, to 2 million 54.7 thousand tons, steel by 65.4%, to 2 million 466.9 thousand tons, and pig iron by 35.3%, to 2 million 718.9 thousand tons.
“Zaporizhstal is one of the largest industrial enterprises in Ukraine, whose products are widely known and in demand in the domestic market and in many countries of the world.
“Zaporizhstal is in the process of integration into Metinvest Group, whose major shareholders are System Capital Management (71.24%) and Smart Holding Group (23.76%).
Metinvest Holding LLC is the management company of Metinvest Group.
In November 2024, Ukraine exported 6.2 million tons of agricultural products, which is 6.5% less than the same indicator of the previous month, but it is still a good monthly export figure, according to the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club (UCAB).
According to the report, in November 2024, Ukraine increased grain exports by 3%, of which corn accounted for 63%, wheat – 33%, and barley – 4%.
Supplies of oilseeds to foreign markets decreased by 32% to 0.8 mln tons (soybeans – 58% and rapeseed – 41%), vegetable oils – by 8% to 541.2 thsd tonnes. tons (sunflower oil – 89%, soybean oil – 9% and rapeseed oil – 2%), cake after extraction of vegetable oils – by 19% to 383.3 thousand tons (sunflower oil – 78%, soybean oil – 12%), other types of agricultural products – by 5% to 398.5 thousand tons.
“The growth is observed only in the grain group, while the rest of the categories show a decline. The biggest decline was in oilseeds, which decreased by one third. The main reason is the slowdown in rapeseed exports, as the lion’s share of it has already been exported,” commented UCAB.
The cargo turnover of Ukrainian seaports in January-November 2024 reached 89.8 million tons, which is 69.7% more than in the same period last year.
“In January-November 2024, Ukrainian seaports handled 89.8 million tons of cargo, which is significantly higher than the volume of 52.9 million tons achieved in the same period in 2023. This achievement demonstrates the resilience and efficiency of the port industry even in a difficult situation,” the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority (USPA) said on Facebook on Monday.
Agricultural products traditionally remain the mainstay of cargo traffic, with a share of 55 million tons, the report said.
At the same time, 7.5 million tons of cargo were handled in November, up 41% year-on-year. A month earlier in October, 8 million tons of cargo were handled.
Earlier, the USPA reported that the cargo turnover of Ukrainian ports from January 1 to November 17, 2024 increased to 86.8 million tons, of which 53.5 million tons were exported.
Age-sex pyramid of the population of Ukraine for 2024 (thousand people)
Open4Business.com.ua
AirBaltic said it’s developed a plan to resume flights to Ukraine at short notice of the airspace reopening, three years after the Russian invasion severed the country’s air links.
The Latvian airline plans to shift capacity from other destinations into Ukraine once safe to do so, Chief Executive Officer Martin Gauss said on Monday in an interview. AirBaltic would also want to keep some aircraft in Ukraine overnight, a practice known as night-stopping, he said.
“We can be flying tonight if it’s safe,” he said. “I would even fly empty there if it’s clear we can fly out and would sell the tickets, and the tickets are sold.”
Optimism for the end of the war in Ukraine is gaining momentum, with US President-elect Donald Trump saying he could settle the country’s conflict with Russia. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has suggested he’d accept a cease-fire with Russia that left parts of his country occupied in return for NATO security guarantees over the rest.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in Kyiv on Monday and offered additional military aid, which stands to strengthen Zelenskiy’s hand in any cease-fire talks.
AirBaltic had a strong market in Ukraine and previously operated flights from Kyiv, Lviv and Odesa but was forced to suspend all flights when the airspace closed because of the conflict. Airlines are now assessing when and how to restart flights into Ukraine when the airspace reopens. Ryanair Holdings Plc has promised to base 30 aircraft there and help rebuild the country’s aviation industry once the war ends.
Opening the airspace and airports would provide AirBaltic with an additional key market, given that Ukraine travel demand is high, Gauss said. The carrier would also be able to cross Ukraine’s airspace to fly a more direct route south of Latvia to destinations such as Dubai and Greece.
Gauss said the airline hasn’t included the plan in its guidance because it’s unclear when Ukraine’s airspace will open again.
Ahead of a proposed initial public offering, AirBaltic is in advanced talks with a “large stock-listed airline,” Gauss said, without disclosing the airline and a time-line. It comes after Bloomberg News reported Deutsche Lufthansa AG was considering taking a stake in the Latvian airline.
The IPO was initially set to happen in the second half of this year, but Gauss said the earliest is now in the first half of 2025 because market conditions need to be right.
AirBaltic is among the airlines impacted by Pratt & Whitney engine issues under the wings of Airbus SE aircraft. The carrier currently has 16 aircraft on the ground for removal and inspections, and expects as many as 12 jets to be grounded next summer, Gauss said.
