Envoys from the 27 EU member states will meet on Tuesday to begin discussions on starting membership talks with Ukraine, Reuters reports, citing officials and diplomats.
“The meeting marks the beginning of preparations by the 27 countries for a summit of European Union leaders on December 14-15, which is expected to decide on the integration prospects of Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and Bosnia,” the report said.
According to Reuters, the meeting on Tuesday is expected to discuss the draft agreement of the summit, which is also expected to decide on a related proposal to provide Kyiv with budget support in the amount of EUR50 billion ($54.10 billion) until 2027.
“No final decisions are expected on Tuesday, but the initial exchange of views between member states will give an indication of how likely it is that the summit will give the green light to Ukraine,” the agency emphasizes.
An international conference on the restoration of Ukraine with the involvement of Greek business will be held in Athens, Greece, on February 15, 2024, the press service of the Ukrainian government said on Monday.
“January 15, 2024 will mark 32 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Greece. Today, it is extremely important to resume the activities of the intergovernmental joint Ukrainian-Greek working group on economic, industrial, technical and scientific cooperation, the Ukrainian part of which I head. It is important that we have agreed on the date of the next meeting and started the preparation process,” said Oleh Nemchinova, Minister of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, following a meeting with Ambassador Spyridon Lambridis, Special Envoy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece to Ukraine.
The parties discussed cooperation between the two countries, as well as the readiness of the Greek side to participate in the restoration of architectural monuments and the historical center of Odesa, which were damaged during the Russian aggression. In particular, Mr. Lambridis informed about Greece’s intention to open a special office in Odesa to restore Odesa region.
In addition, the parties discussed preparations for the planned events, namely the announcement of an international conference on the restoration of Ukraine with the involvement of Greek business to be held in Athens on February 15, 2024.
The key issues to be addressed during the conference are the preparation of a plan for the reconstruction of Ukraine (aspects of planning and financing reconstruction projects with the participation of European agencies and the Ukrainian government), an institutional mechanism for business (presentation of a mechanism for business circles to be involved in reconstruction projects with the participation of Ukrainian government experts and business representatives with regional reconstruction experience), opportunities for cooperation in certain areas (presentation of a mechanism for business
Greek business, INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, Ukraine's recovery
From December 13 to 19, 2023, the European Film Festival 2023 (EUFF) will be held in Ukraine. The festival is organized by the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine together with the European cultural institutions Goethe-Institut, Institut Français and Cineuropa.
This year’s festival will showcase the outstanding achievements of European cinema and introduce the contemporary cinema of Ukraine. EUFF 2023 will bring together nine films that have won international competitions. You can watch them for free on the festival’s online platform.
To join EUFF 2023, you need to:
Register at eurofest.org.ua;
Rent and watch a movie for free at a convenient time from December 13 to 19.
The EUFF 2023 program includes such films as Luxembourg, Luxembourg (Ukraine), Anytime (Finland), My Love Affair with Marriage (Latvia, Luxembourg), The Gods of Molenbeek (Finland, Belgium, Germany), “Luzza (Malta), Oscar and Lilly – Where No One Knows Us (Austria), Date with Amber (Ireland, UK), I’m Fine (Luxembourg, Belgium, Germany, Italy), Lullaby (Spain). The full program and film descriptions are available on the EUFF website.
“EUFF is an international project that promotes cultural exchange between EU countries and Ukraine. Our common vector of development is reflected in this year’s festival program. It includes both European works and, for the first time, a Ukrainian film. And this is a sign of deepening the dialogue and strengthening the partnership between Europe and Ukraine,” the EU Delegation to Ukraine said.
Organizer: Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine.
Partners: Goethe-Institut, Institut Français, Cineuropa.
Media partners: Mind.ua, Bit.ua.
Technical partners: Festival Scope, SHIFT27.
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For reference:
The EU Delegation to Ukraine has the status of a diplomatic mission and is one of more than 130 EU delegations in the world. The European Film Festival is a global cultural project implemented by the EU Delegations around the world to promote European values and raise awareness of pressing European challenges. The goal of the festival in Ukraine is to introduce Ukrainians to Europe and its culture through cinema.
In January-September 2023, Dnipro Aggregate Plant JSC (DAP, Dnipro) increased its net income from sales by 72% compared to the same period in 2022, to almost UAH 235.6 million.
According to the company’s published interim reports in the NSSMC disclosure system, its net profit more than doubled to UAH 69.4 million.
The plant earned UAH 100.16 million in operating profit in the reporting period (up twofold), while gross profit amounted to UAH 131.15 million (+39.6%).
As reported, in the first half of this year, DAO increased its net profit by 8.3% to UAH 33.83 million, while net revenue grew by 46% to almost UAH 132 million.
Thus, in the third quarter of 2023, net profit increased 15.3 times year-on-year to UAH 35.6 million, and net income increased 2.2 times to UAH 103.6 million.
At the same time, the report notes that Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine remains the main risk factor, “which continues to affect inflationary processes, which is reflected in rising prices for materials, equipment and energy resources, reducing the possibility of cash flow in case of an increase in the need for them.”
At the same time, the document says, SAZ is taking steps to increase return on equity by optimizing the structure of debt and equity to ensure business continuity.
According to the company’s previously announced plans, one of the key factors for its development in 2023 is to expand its order book by 1.5 times by 2022.
DAZ is an enterprise with many years of experience in manufacturing aircraft products, as well as hydraulic equipment for mines and general engineering products (fuel and other liquid pumps).
Most of its products are sold in Ukraine, but in recent years, supplies to the EU have increased significantly.
As reported, in 2022, the plant earned UAH 36.72 million in net profit, up 15.6% year-on-year, with net income up 1.4% to UAH 175.56 million.
German arms maker Rheinmetall AG wants to build its first armored vehicles in Ukraine next year, the concern’s chief executive officer Armin Papperger said, Reuters reports.
According to Papperger, he expects an agreement with Ukraine to build Fuchs armored transport vehicles, named after the German word for fox, and Lynx infantry fighting vehicles to be signed by early next year.
“After signing the contract, we want to finish the first Fuchs within six to seven months, and the first Lynx within 12 to 13 months,” he said.
It is noted that in October, Ukraine announced the creation of a joint defense venture with Rheinmetall AG to help in the local production of some key types of equipment, as well as to maintain and repair Western weapons sent to Kyiv against a full-scale Russian invasion.
According to Reuters, Ukrainian officials hope that cooperation with Western arms manufacturers will help revive the domestic arms industry, which suffered from inefficiency and lack of transparency for years before Russia’s invasion.
More than 19 thousand road accidents with injuries and deaths were recorded in Ukraine in ten months of 2023. The most common cause of road accidents is exceeding the safe speed limit. The number of accidents involving children has also increased significantly. Dnipropetrovska, Lvivska, and Kyivska oblasts are among the worst performers in terms of road accidents.
19,743 road accidents with fatalities and/or injuries occurred in Ukraine in 10 months of 2023. 2,492 people died as a result of these accidents, and another 24,774 were injured.
This is reported by Opendatabot, citing data from the Patrol Police Department.
The largest number of accidents with injuries and deaths was recorded in:
– Dnipropetrovska oblast – 1775
– Lviv region – 1697
– Kyiv region – 1631 accidents.
The most significant increase in road accidents with injuries and/or deaths was in Volyn – +39%. This is almost 1.4 times more than in the same period in 2021. The number of accidents also increased significantly in Chernivtsi (+27%) and Kirovohrad (+26%) regions. In contrast, accidents in Ternopil and Kharkiv regions decreased by 11% and 10%, respectively.
Top causes of road accidents in 2023
In the vast majority of cases – 38.5% – accidents occur due to speeding. The second most common cause of accidents in Ukraine is violation of maneuvering rules (22.5%). ⅔ of deaths in road accidents occur for these reasons.
In 2023, the number of accidents involving children increased significantly – by 10% compared to the same period in 2021.
At the same time, the number of accidents that, according to the Patrol Police, were caused by children increased by 1.5 times. This year, twice as many children have already died in such accidents and 2.3 times as many have been injured as in the same period in 2021.
Lviv region remains the anti-leader with 83 such accidents, while Kyiv and Vinnytsia regions show the highest growth – by 3.8 and 3 times, respectively.
