Ukraine and Hungary have agreed to open the Velyka Palad-Nagyhodos checkpoint for passenger vehicles, the press service of the Ministry of Community Development, Territorial and Infrastructure Development (MinRestore) reported on Monday.
In addition, the countries agreed to allow the movement of empty trucks weighing more than 7.5 tons at the Luzhanka-Beregsurany checkpoint.
The relevant amendments to the Agreement between the governments of the countries on border traffic control were signed by the Deputy Prime Minister for the Reconstruction of Ukraine – Minister of Community Development, Territories and Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov and the Ambassador of Hungary to Ukraine Heizer Antala.
It is specified that the agreements reached with Hungary require ratification to come into force.
“The signed amendments to the Agreement with Hungary allow us to start planning design and infrastructure works to launch the new Velyka Palad-Nagyhodos checkpoint and ensure the movement of empty trucks at Luzhanka,” Kubrakov said.
According to him, the possibility of building a new cargo checkpoint “Dyida-Berehdaroc” is also being considered to increase the capacity of the Ukrainian-Hungarian border.
Kubrakov also noted that Ukraine is working to start negotiations on the introduction of joint customs and border control with Hungary.
“This will allow us to speed up control procedures and reduce the time for crossing the border,” emphasized Kubrakov.
There are 5 automobile checkpoints on the border with Hungary. Only the Chop-Záhony checkpoint can handle trucks weighing more than 7.5 tons. Both loaded and empty vehicles go there. Every day, about 220 trucks cross the Chop-Zahony border crossing to leave Ukraine.
The Filatov Institute of Eye Diseases and Tissue Therapy of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine will continue to develop technologies for using artificial intelligence (AI) to diagnose eye diseases, said Andriy Korol, head of the department for studying the biological action and application of lasers in ophthalmology at the clinic.
“We have now worked out diabetic retinopathy, and at the next stage we will develop in several directions. These may include specific eye diseases, retinal diseases, glaucoma, age-related degeneration, and other diseases that are manifestations of diabetes,” he said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
Korol noted that another area of AI technology development that the institute plans to implement will be a system that will allow “to see the symptoms and signs of various diseases, such as hypertension, vascular changes, hereditary diseases, and a number of rare diseases.”
Korol specified that the institute will be able to “launch research on new nosologies every year and a half.”
The number of completed movements from Ukraine under the general transit procedure (NCTS) in the first quarter of this year amounted to 19 thousand, which is 13 times more than in the same period last year, the State Customs Service of Ukraine reported on Monday.
“Despite the hostilities and the difficult situation on the western border of Ukraine, the first quarter of 2024 was the most productive by all accounts compared to previous quarters since the start of the application of the common transit procedure (NCTS) in Ukraine, that is, from October 1, 2022,” the agency said in a statement on its Telegram channel.
It is specified that during January-March 2024, a third of the total number of transit declarations under the NCTS was issued – 23.5 thousand out of more than 65 thousand. In particular, in the countries participating in the NCTS Convention, more than 19 thousand movements initiated by the customs authorities of Ukraine were successfully completed, while in Ukraine – almost 4.5 thousand movements initiated in other countries participating in the Convention.
The customs office emphasized that compared to the same period last year, i.e. the first quarter of 2023, the rate of successfully completed movements started in Ukraine increased 13 times, and movements started in other countries party to the Convention – 9 times.
Also, in January-March 2024, the number of companies that received and use authorizations for the application of transit simplifications in accordance with the Convention almost doubled from 57 to 101.
It is specified that they have been granted 121 authorizations (out of 303 during the period of application of the Convention by Ukraine), 39 of which were granted to use the general guarantee (including an increase in the reference amount), 27 each with the status of authorized shipper and consignee, and 22 to use special type seals.
Regarding the guarantee of the joint transit procedure, the State Customs Service notes a significant increase in the number of registered individual guarantees in the first quarter of 2024.
“In this quarter alone, almost 3 thousand individual guarantees worth more than EUR 95 million were registered. At the same time, since Ukraine joined the Convention on the Common Transit Procedure, at the end of the quarter, almost 5.5 thousand valid (including used) individual guarantees totaling EUR 274 million were available in the NCTS system,” the service added.
In addition, during this period, 21 general guarantees worth EUR 38 million were registered. Since the start of the NCTS system, only 74 general guarantees have been registered, 50 of which are currently valid for EUR 167 million.
Earlier, roundtables were devoted to customs reform, where the event’s organizer and moderator Maksim Urakin stated that the State Customs Service accounts for 35-40% of state budget revenues, and these figures have remained stable in recent years. That is why customs reforms are so important for the country.m
One of the largest grain market operators in Ukraine, JV Nibulon LLC (Mykolaiv), has put up for auction a full-cycle property complex in Zhytomyr region, the grain trader’s website reports.
According to the report, the property includes a pig farm and a meat processing plant in the village of Bystryk.
Among the advantages of the business sold by the grain trader are a favorable location in the central part of Ukraine near the capital on an area of 11 hectares, working equipment in satisfactory condition, the availability of personnel consisting of local residents, stable demand for pork and its products in the domestic and foreign markets, its own trademark “Bystrytska”, project and design developments.
The auction will run until April 20.
Nibulon JV LLC was established in 1991. Prior to the Russian military invasion, the grain trader had 27 transshipment terminals and crop reception complexes, capacity for simultaneous storage of 2.25 million tons of agricultural products, a fleet of 83 vessels (including 23 tugs), and owned the Mykolaiv Shipyard.
“Before the war, Nibulon cultivated 82 thousand hectares of land in 12 regions of Ukraine and exported agricultural products to more than 70 countries. In 2021, the grain trader exported the highest ever volume of 5.64 million tons of agricultural products, reaching record volumes of supplies to foreign markets in August – 0.7 million tons, in the fourth quarter – 1.88 million tons, and in the second half of the year – 3.71 million tons.
Nibulon’s losses due to Russia’s full-scale military invasion in 2022 exceeded $416 million.
Currently, the grain trader is operating at 32% of capacity, has created a special unit to clear agricultural land of mines, and was forced to move its headquarters from Mykolaiv to Kyiv.
Switzerland intends to hold a high-level conference on a settlement in Ukraine in mid-June, Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing sources.
“The conference may take place on June 16-17, but it is not yet clear how many countries will participate,” the agency informs, noting that it could be 80-100 countries, representing mainly the “global South.”
According to the agency’s interlocutors, the key issue is China’s participation, which will allow Switzerland to “ensure the credibility of the initiative.”
A representative of the Swiss Foreign Ministry noted that the date and venue of the conference are still unknown. The agency’s sources said it could be held in the Swiss city of Lucerne.
“In addition to the positions of Ukraine, Russia and Europe, it is important to hear the opinion of the “global South”, which will play a key role in the possible inclusion of Russia in this process. That is why we maintain close contacts with China, India, Brazil, South Africa and Saudi Arabia,” the Swiss Foreign Ministry spokesman added.
Bloomberg notes that several countries insist on Russia’s participation in the conference, but Kyiv wants to reach an agreement on key principles that “will form the basis for a future agreement” before engaging Moscow in the dialogue.
On April 5, Uzbekistan and the European Union signed a memorandum of understanding that launched a strategic partnership to develop sustainable value chains in the field of critical raw materials.
The memorandum was visualized in Belgium by Laziz Kudratov, Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade of Uzbekistan, and Valdis Dombrovskis, Executive Vice President of the European Commission.
The EU notes that Uzbekistan has the second largest reserves of critical raw materials in Central Asia: copper, molybdenum and gold.
“This agreement marks a significant step towards securing diversified and sustainable supplies of critical raw materials for the transition to green and digital technologies, both in the European Union and in Uzbekistan,” the statement said.
Critical raw materials are minerals that are of great economic importance to the European Union. Such raw materials include 34 types of metals, minerals and other natural materials, 17 of which are strategically important: copper, lithium, aluminum, titanium, platinum, graphite, nickel, cobalt and others.
The strategic partnership, according to the memorandum, focuses on the following areas of cooperation:
Integration of sustainable value chains for critical raw materials, including through networking, pre-qualification of project proposals, joint project development, and promotion and facilitation of trade and investment links along the entire value chain;
Increasing the supply of critical raw materials and establishing a dialogue to increase transparency in investment, operations, and exports;
Attracting financing for projects implemented under the partnership, as well as developing clean energy supply, but not limited to;
Cooperation in the field of research and innovation, including the exchange of knowledge and technology related to sustainable exploration, production, processing and reuse of critical raw materials, etc.
“This agreement with natural resource-rich Uzbekistan will help the EU secure much-needed access to critical raw materials. For Uzbekistan, this will be a major boost to its ambitions to diversify its economy and sustainably develop its extractive industry,” said Valdis Dombrovskis.
The partnership is in line with the Global Gateway strategy, the EU’s key initiative to invest in sustainable projects around the world, taking into account the needs of partner countries and providing long-term benefits to them, through which the EU will mobilize up to €300 billion by 2027.
The next step after the signing of the memorandum will be the joint work of the European Union and Uzbekistan to create an operational roadmap with concrete actions.
