KYIV. June 17 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The Verkhovna Rada on Wednesday ratified an agreement on air communication with the United Kingdom.
A total of 282 MPs voted for respective bill No. 0029.
The agreement was signed in Kyiv on November 21, 2011. It will become effective after the receipt of the last written notification by the signatories about their introduction of domestic procedures needed for the agreement to take effect.
After ratification, the agreement will be conducive to the creation and operation of a reliable international legislative mechanism to support and boost ties between the two countries, according to an explanatory note to the agreement.
It will also facilitate the further development of cooperation in aviation transportation, establishment of business contacts and geographic expansion of Ukrainian flights.
KYIV. June 17 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The Ukrainian government has created a Coordination Council for Tourism Development as a temporary ad hoc conciliatory agency.
Representatives of relevant ministries and agencies, as well as tourism-related public unions, trade unions and businesses have been included in the council.
Corresponding Cabinet of Ministers decree No. 388 dated May 14 on the creation and approval of members of the council has been posted on government’s website.
According to the provision on the council, its main tasks are to facilitate the coordination of executive agencies’ actions to realize state policy on tourism and resorts, as well as to prepare corresponding suggestions on policy formation.
In addition, its tasks include improving Ukraine’s current regulatory framework and facilitating the development and execution of international programs and projects, taking into account global experience, as well as initiating international tourism-related agreements.
According to the decree, the council will be headed by Deputy Prime Minister Culture Minister of Ukraine, Economic Development and Trade Minister will be First Deputy Head of the council, and Infrastructure Minister – Deputy Head of the council.
Other council members may include Head of the All-Ukrainian Union of Tourist Operators, Director of Hamalia PrJSC, representatives of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine and others.
KYIV. June 17 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine has exported 33.494 million tonnes of grain since the beginning of the current 2014/2015 marketing year (MY), which is higher than last MY’s historic record of 32.3 million tonnes, according to Ukrainian Agrarian Policy Minister Oleksiy Pavlenko.
“Over this marketing year, grain exports have reached a record high of 33.494 million tonnes. Ending stocks were almost 3.5 million tonnes bigger than in the previous year,” he said at a government meeting on Wednesday.
Concerns that the sowing campaign would fail were unfounded, he added.
“The sowing campaign is over today, the plan has been met by 100%,” he said.
Pavlenko said the total area sown with crops corresponds to last year’s area, which is 26.5 million hectares, including 14.8 million hectares sown with grain crops alone. Of them, 7.9 million hectares were sown with winter crops and 6.9 million hectares with spring crops.
KYIV. June 17 (Interfax-Ukraine) – State enterprise Energoatom has announced a tender to open a credit line worth EUR11.574 million to finance the supply of SHEM-M drives and special tools for the sixth power unit at Zaporizhia nuclear power plant (NPP).
According to an announcement in the public procurement bulletin, the deadline for filing applications to participate in the tender and opening bids is July 7, 2015.
Loan funds will be raised for six years from the date of signing a loan agreement. The expected value of the purchase is UAH 102.582 million.
As reported, in October 2014 a contract was signed for the supply of SHEM-M electromagnetic upgraded stepper drives produced by Skoda for power unit No.6 of Zaporizhia NPP. The document follows the successful operation of similar drives at power unit No. 3 at Rivne nuclear power plant and block number 1 at Zaporizhia NPP. SHEM-M drives are also successfully operated at blocks numbers 1, 2, and 3 at Yuzhnoukrainsk nuclear power plant.
Previously, Energoatom repeatedly raised loans from Czech Export Bank to finance the purchase of Skoda equipment for its NPPs.
KYIV. June 16 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Dnipropetrovsk-based state-run Pivdenne design bureau is in talks with European companies on the development of partnerships, and has linked the scale of the presence of Ukrainian rocket and space enterprises on the EU market with Ukraine’s membership of the European Space Agency.
Speaking about potential cooperation with the EU, Director General of Pivdenne design bureau Oleksandr Dehtiariov said that there are limits on the participation of the Ukrainian rocket and space sector in European space projects.
“The participation of the ESA’s non-member states in European space projects is strictly limited by a number of European rules and restrictions,” he said.
As Dehtiariov explained, Pivdenne design bureau has managed to establish cooperation with EU countries mainly in two areas: production and maintenance of upper-stage engine of a new European light-class Vega launch vehicle (LV), as well as joint research projects within EU framework programs. In particular, he said Pivdenne design bureau currently participates in EU research initiatives, including the creation of new types of thermal protection for reusable space vehicles; development of new methods of disposal of debris; exploration of new structural materials based on carbon fiber.
Dehtiariov said the bureau is not satisfied with what has already been achieved: the company is holding talks with private European companies on possible cooperation in new promising directions. Among them is the creation of engines for re-usable space vehicles, the creation of a small platform-carrier for nano satellites, and orbit-to-orbit space service studies, he said.
“The prospects of cooperation with European partners in the creation of the newest complex for production of elements of space vehicles and rockets from carbon-phenolic materials for Ukraine and the development of cooperation in 3D printing area should be pointed separately,” he said.
Among the promising and mutually profitable directions of cooperation between Ukraine and the EU in the rocket and space sector, which Pivdenne design bureau is ready to offer, are the design and production of oxygen-kerosene engines for promising European vehicle carriers, production of their elements in Ukraine at competitive prices and the designing of platforms of small spacecraft for scientific, technological and Earth remote sensing missions, Dehtiariov said.
“However, the participation of Ukraine in European space projects mainly depends on Ukraine’s joining the European Space Agency,” he said.
KYIV. June 16 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Energy and Coal Industry Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Demchyshyn has said that an international consortium to manage National Nuclear Generating Company Energoatom, the operator of Ukrainian nuclear power plants, could be created.
“Even Energoatom requires private investment, although control over nuclear security issues with a lot of many specific requirements should be retained during the management. Some shares could be sold to have a new and more effective owner who will help managing the asset. In the medium term outlook an international consortium to manage Energoatom with European and/or U.S. investors could be created,” he said in an interview with Forbes Ukraine.
He said that foreign investors are interested in Ukrainian energy, including electricity generation.
“There is a chance of realizing unique projects in the hydro-power sector… However, this is the prospect of not the coming year. The political situation in the country should stabilize,” he said.
Energoatom is the operator of all four Ukrainian-based operating nuclear power plants, which have 15 VVER reactors with an overall generating capacity of 13.835 gigawatts.
