KYIV. Sept 15 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The authorities of Cherkasy region have cut the amount of time required to register a business to 24 hours and also cut the tax rate for commercial property to 0.5% of the minimum wage per square meter, and in some districts of the region – to 0.2%, Head of Cherkasy Regional Administration Yuriy Tkachenko said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Monday.
“Tax on commercial property in Cherkasy is 0.5% per square meter. If we compare this with Odesa and Kharkiv regions, of course, they [the taxes] are four and even more times larger,” Tkachenko.
He said that the Cherkassy authorities liquidated the land commission in the regional administration which would discuss documents submitted by applicants over one month, and that now, the agro-industrial development department and the regional department of the state service for geodesy, mapmaking and cadastre considers applications within ten days. Tkachenko said that Cherkasy region has become the first region where extracts from the state service for geodesy, mapmaking and cadastre on land parcels can be received remotely.
Tkachenko said that on September 18, the Cherkasy Investment Forum will be held in Kyiv with the participation of leading companies, where the region will offer attractive land parcels and property to investors.
He said that the region is especially interested in foreign investors. Their share of total capital investment in the development of the region is small – only UAH 7.4 million out of over UAH 4 billion in 2015.
Tkachenko also spoke about the investment projects which are being introduced. Saturn household appliances producer plans to produce household appliances for vulnerable parts of the population.
Among the other projects which are being run with foreign investment is a project to produce brown coal being realized by Energy Investment Company LLC since 2014 and the signing of a memorandum with China’s Runh Power Corp. on the construction of a power plant.
He said that two investors from the United Arab Emirates invest fund are developing solar energy in the region, and a project on the construction of an elevator on the Dnipro River is being realized jointly with a French company.
The governor said that representatives of the region are working on attracting investors in the creation of imports-replacing production facilities and on defining production of dehydrated potato powder, household chemicals and personal-care products as top-priority directions.
Tkachenko said that over 10 companies from Donetsk and Luhansk regions have started producing goods in vacant facilities of Soviet enterprises in Cherkasy region (Orion, etc).
Board Chairman of APK Mais Serhiy Tereschuk said at the press conference that Cherkasy region has all the conditions to develop its agrarian industry: skilled staff, good soil, climate, waterways, and favorable geographical location and logistics advantages. He also said that a favorable investment environment is being created: authorities, business and community of the region have united as a part of decentralization.
Leader of the movement ‘For Prosperous Cherkasy Region’ Natalia Netovkina said that the nut, apple and honey production cluster is a top-priority for the region. It is planned to create cooperatives, including by Anti-Terrorist Operation solders, who receive 1.5-2 hectares from rural councils.
Tkachenko said that authorities and business are implementing a partner project on developing tourism in the region, in particular, in towns of Kaniv, Chyhyryn and Uman.
KYIV. Sept 15 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The German-Ukrainian business forum with the expected participation of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk is to be held in Berlin on October 23, Economic Development and Trade Minister of Ukraine Aivaras Abromavicius said at a briefing in Kyiv on Monday.
“The main topics and tasks of the forum are to tell our German colleagues that the reforms are taking place, that they will only become faster, to show our investment potential, and attract attention to the possibility of privatization,” Abromavicius said.
He specified that the most important topics for Ukraine at the forum would be energy, agriculture, logistics, the eco industry, innovation, and information technologies.
According to him, 300-400 participants are expected to attend the forum.
As reported, the previous international investment conference with the participation of the Ukrainian government was held in Washington on July 13.
KYIV. Sept 14 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Utilities Economy Ministry of Ukraine is studying the possibility of Ukrainian construction companies entering the construction markets of Middle East countries, in particular, the Egyptian market.
First Deputy Head of the parliamentary committee for construction, town-planning and utilities Dmytro Andriyevsky announced the initiative on Thursday, referring to the results of a meeting with the top managers of the ministry.
“Firstly, the markets of the Middle East [are being studied]. There is serious progress for works in Egypt,” he said at a general meeting of members of the Constructors Confederation of Ukraine in Kyiv on Thursday.
He said that among the former Soviet republics, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan are considered as top-priority and promising construction markets.
He called on companies that are members of the Confederation to more actively cooperate with the ministry regarding new markets.
KYIV. Sept 14 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Europe should provide every possible assistance to reforms in Ukraine, British former prime minister Tony Blair has said.
Speaking at the 12th annual meeting of Yalta European Strategy (YES), Blair said that Ukraine’s problem is its political and economic history, and Europe as a whole needs to understand what is happening in this country. Ukraine is fighting not only for its future but also for the future of Europe, he said.
Europeans should be aware of this and provide Ukraine with as much help as they can, the ex-premier said.
According to him, the most difficult thing in politics is carrying out reforms, but Ukraine needs drastic changes. The Ukrainian government is carrying out reforms in very difficult conditions, and Europe should show solidarity with Ukraine and provide it with every possible assistance, Blair said.
KYIV. Sept 14 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Since early 2015, Ukraine has supplied 18,000 tonnes of sugar under the duty-free quota provided by the European Union (EU), which has a total of 20,070 tonnes.
Agricultural Policy and Food Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Pavlenko wrote on his Facebook page that ending sugar stocks as of early 2015/16 agricultural year (September–August) have been estimated at 500,000 tonnes. It is expected that 1.2-1.3 million tonnes of sugar will be produced, which will fully satisfy domestic demand.
As reported, according to Ukrtsukor association, sugar production in 2014/15 agri-year grew by 75%, to 2.1 million tonnes, while the domestic market fell to 1.6 million tonnes due to the reduction of sugar supplies to Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Ukrtsukor Director General Mykola Yarchuk said that in 2015/16 agri-year a total of 35-36 sugar refineries would work in Ukraine.
UkrAgroConsult consulting agency predicts that sugar production will drop to 1.3-1.4 million tonnes in the new agricultural year.
KYIV. Sept 14 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The European Union (EU) is ready to provide EUR 90 million for decentralization projects in Ukraine, EU Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy Johannes Hahn said at a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Utilities Economy Minister of Ukraine Hennadiy Zubko.
The press service of the Ukrainian government has reported, referring to Zubko, that Ukraine has offered to set up 40 sub-regional groups to support reforms, including the provision of large scale financing to maintain ties with the general public and to provide training.
“These groups will provide technical assistance through training of local authorities at all levels. In addition, the teams will also coordinate the training of the newly elected MPs and civil servants regarding their new managing responsibilities,” Zubko said.
The EU funds will also be allocated to enhancing the State Fund of Regional Development, especially taking into account the need for additional investment to establish and enlarge the services of united communities, Zubko said.
“We are interested in creating a network of agencies or offices to train staff in the regions to ensure the elaboration and implementation of regional development projects, including project analysis and management of investment projects,” he said.
“Ukraine relies on the expert assistance of its European partners in the process of amending the Constitution of Ukraine. For us it is also crucial [for there to be] facilitation in the development of a package of laws on decentralization in 22 areas, especially basic laws on self-government, prefects, administrative and territorial structure, land relations, tax and budget laws, social standards, administrative services and local police,” Zubko said.
