KYIV. Oct 5 (Interfax-Ukraine) – A first display test auction to sell assets of insolvent banks was held on Tuesday as part of preparations for the launch of the pilot operation of the ProZorro.Sales system (http://www.prozorro.sale/).
An Interfax-Ukraine correspondent has reported that the sponsor of designing the system was Western NIS Enterprise Fund: the project is being implemented on the principles of the ProZorro e-procurement system with support of the Economic Development and Trade Ministry, the Individuals Deposit Guarantee Fund, Transparency International Ukraine and the National Bank of Ukraine.
It took four months to design the electronic system: the pilot auction precedes holding trading sessions with real assets scheduled for late October.
The procedure for selling the assets from the registration of a lot to online trading, selection of the winner and loading of the sale agreement was tested. The test has confirmed the ProZorro.Sales system’s readiness for real trading.
“We can say for sure that we are ready for the launch,” ProZorro.Sales Project Head Oleksiy Sobolev said.
The accreditation of the platforms for the pilot project is underway.
KYIV. Oct 5 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Epicenter K LLC, part of the Epicenter group of companies (both based in Kyiv) and developing a network of eponymous hypermarkets in Ukraine, in January-June 2016 increased revenues by 21.3% compared to the same period a year earlier, to UAH 14.2 billion.
Epicenter K CEO Petro Mikhailishin voiced such data in an interview with the TOP 100 edition.
According to him, in 2015 the company increased revenue by 19.3% compared to 2014 and it amounted to UAH 27.8 billion.
Speaking about the plan for the development of the Epicenter network in 2016-2017, the CEO noted that, first of all, the company intends to invest in the construction of new and completion of already opened shopping centers, which now show a rapid growth trend.
“This year Epicenter K has opened the third shopping center in Lviv and started the reformatting of Epicenter hypermarkets in Chernivtsi, Ivano-Frankivsk, Odesa, and Mukacheve. We continue to launch small trade centers (ranging from 2,000 to 6,000 square meters) in district and regional centers. We have recently opened shopping center in Shepetivka and Bila Tserkva,” he said.
KYIV. Oct 5 (Interfax-Ukraine) – More than 6,000 used foreign cars with preferences for excise 172 have passed customs clearance at reduced excise duty rates since the beginning of August, according to the press service of the State Fiscal Service, with reference to its head Roman Nasirov.
“Some 6,008 cars have passed customs clearance under the new rules since the entry into force of the law on the temporary decrease in excise duty. The total amount paid for customs clearance is almost UAH 270 million,” the press service said.
As reported, 1,315 cars passed customs clearance under the new rules in August, i.e. 4,693 used cars have passed customs clearance since early September.
Under the law, individuals and legal entities can by December 31, 2018 import one car per year not older than the 2010 year of production, which can be resold only after a year.
KYIV. Oct 5 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The European Investment Bank (EIB) will open a credit line of EUR200 million to finance investment in urban public transport to 20 municipalities in Ukraine.
According to a bank report on its website, the board made the corresponding decision on September 23 this year.
The EIB notes the project is aimed at increasing the frequency and regularity of public transport in the medium-sized cities of Ukraine. It is expected that the funds will also help reduce harmful emissions by switching to electric transport. This will have a positive effect on the local economy.
The total project cost is estimated at EUR 400 million.
As reported, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in October 2015 approved the issue of EUR 100 million to public transport enterprises in Odesa, Chernihiv, Chernivtsi and several other cities in the country under the guarantees of municipalities to improve public transport infrastructure focusing on renovating and improving its efficiency.
KYIV. Oct 5 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine’s Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry and South Korea’s Posco Daewoo have signed a protocol of intent to implement a project to upgrade agricultural machinery in Ukraine for small and medium-sized farmers.
The ministry’s press service reported that the protocol was signed by Deputy Minister for European Integration Olha Trofimtseva and Posco Daewoo Corp. Senior Executive Vice President Kim Se-Hyun.
“With the signing of the protocol the sides agree to design a joint program on provision of small and medium-sized farmers in Ukraine with newest agricultural machinery. It will help to make an important contribution to the stabilization and consequent development of its agro-industrial complex,” Trofimtseva said.
Next step in cooperation is to be the creation of a joint working group to draft an action plan to start the implementation of the program.
KYIV. October 5 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The Council of Europe plans to allocate EUR 45 million to support reforms in Ukraine, Foreign Affairs Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin has said.
“The Day of Ukrainian reforms in the Council of Europe. The Council of Europe’s action plan for Ukraine envisages 45 million [euro] to support Ukrainian reforms, which is the largest support package for a member state in the organization’s history,” he wrote on Twitter.
The foreign minister also said that Ukraine in the future will continue to work with the Council of Europe for the sake of reforms in the country and to strengthen rule of law and human rights in Europe.
