The International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff and the Ukrainian authorities have reached agreement on economic policies for a new 14-month Stand-By Arrangement (SBA), which will replace the arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF), approved in March 2015 and set to expire in March 2020. “The new SBA, with a requested access of SDR 2.8 billion (equivalent to $3.9 billion), will provide an anchor for the authorities’ economic policies during 2019,” the IMF said in a statement on Friday.
According to the statement, the agreement is subject to IMF management approval and approval by the IMF Executive Board. Board consideration is expected later in the year following parliamentary approval of a government budget for 2019 consistent with IMF staff recommendations and an increase in household gas and heating tariffs to reflect market developments while continuing to protect low-income households.
The IMF says that building on progress made under the EFF arrangement in reducing macro-economic vulnerabilities, the new agreement will focus in particular on continuing with fiscal consolidation and reducing inflation, as well as reforms to strengthen tax administration, the financial sector and the energy sector.
“The agreement reached today reflects the IMF’s commitment to continue to help Ukraine achieve stronger, sustainable, and inclusive economic growth,” the IMF said.
The Ukrainian authorities’ steadfast and effective implementation will be critical for the program to achieve its objectives, it added. According to the IMF, the new program has been developed in close coordination with the World Bank and the European Union, who have parallel operations to support Ukraine. As reported, the four-year-EFF program worth SDR 12.348 billion (about $17.46 billion at the current forex rate) was launched in March 2015 with a first disbursement of $5 billion. It originally suggested a quarterly review of the program, the allocation of three more tranches worth SDR 1.18 billion each in 2015 and a reduction in quarterly disbursements in 2016-2018 to SDR 0.44 billion ($0.61 billion).
Under the ongoing program, Ukraine has managed to receive a second tranche worth $1.7 billion early in August 2015 with a little delay, which was followed by a long break as Ukraine had failed to meet a number of conditions, which was aggravated by the political crisis and government reshuffles.
Talks on further financing resumed after the appointment of a new Cabinet of Ministers headed by Volodymyr Groysman in April 2016. However, the IMF decided to issue a third disbursement worth $1 billion only in the middle of September 2016 and a fourth one on April 3, 2017.
Since July 2017 Ukraine has been in a complicated negotiating process with the IMF on the gas issue. The IMF insists on raising the price of gas for the population, which, according to various estimates, may range from 30% to 60% due to rising prices in international markets, while the prime minister had previously pointed out the irrationality of such a sharp increase.
The Fund’s position is quite tough, as the government last year decided to raise gas prices that allowed Ukraine to receive a tranche from the IMF, but subsequently unilaterally refused to implement it. Only on Friday, October 19, the government decided to raise gas prices for the population by 23% from November 1, but their new level is still significantly lower than the prices for industry.
On Tuesday, the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of physical culture and sports with the Secretariat of Sports of the Argentine Republic, Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine Ihor Zhdanov has said.
“While visiting Buenos Aires, I signed an agreement between the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine and the Secretariat of Sports of the Argentine Republic on cooperation in the field of physical culture and sports,” the minister wrote on his Facebook page on Tuesday.
He noted that Secretary of State for Sports of Argentina Carlos Javier Mac Allister, who is a member of the government, and his successor, Diogenes de Urquiza, attended the signing ceremony. He starts to perform the duties of his colleague in a month.
According to Zhdanov, the agreement establishes the legal framework of the Ukrainian-Argentine cooperation in the field of physical culture and sports through the central executive bodies and public organizations of physical culture and sports.
“There will be an intensive exchange of experience between coaches and athletes of both countries within the framework of the agreement,” the minister said.
Study visits of specialists, organization and holding of seminars and conferences on issues of the sphere of physical culture and sports with the participation of representatives of state bodies, national federations for sports, sports societies and clubs are planned.
Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers has approved a draft agreement with Uruguay on the mutual abolition of visa requirements. Ukrainian Ambassador to Uruguay concurrently Yuriy Diudin was authorized to sign the document. The provisions of this document stipulate that citizens of Ukraine will be able to stay in the territory of Uruguay for a period not exceeding 90 days, renewable for another period of 90 days. Citizens of Uruguay will be able to stay in Ukraine for a period not exceeding 90 days over a 180-day period.
According to the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, such an agreement was reached after meetings of Director of the Consular Service Department of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Serhiy Pohoreltsev in Uruguay, in particular, with the head of the migration service, the leadership of the Uruguayan Foreign Ministry and parliament members.
“After agreeing the necessary formalities for the signing and entry into force of the relevant bilateral agreement, Uruguay will become another country where Ukrainian citizens can travel without visas,” the ministry said.
Ukrenergo plans at the end of 2018 to sign an operational agreement on simultaneous operation in the Ukraine-Moldova control block with Moldelectrica, the press service of the Ukrainian company has reported. “The operational agreement is a contractual basis for the parallel operation of the transmission system operators, which is being worked out in the framework of the action plan for the synchronization of the energy systems of Ukraine and Moldova with ENTSO-E … The final signing of the operation agreement is scheduled for the end of 2018,” the report says.
On September 14 Ukrenergo and Moldelectrica signed three new provisions from the future agreement, and in general 17 provisions are already ready.
“The operating agreement significantly simplifies our contractual base and brings it into full compliance with the European standards. After its final signing, we will be able to cooperate with Moldelectrica according to ENTSO-E rules. To date, the major part of the plan of measures for the development of this important document has already been completed,” Yuriy Kudrenko, the head of the department for ensuring the parallel operation of Ukrenergo’s power systems, said.
The Verkhovna Rada has ratified the agreement between the governments of Ukraine and the Republic of Turkey on mutual assistance and investment protection, which provides Ukrainian and Turkish investors with assistance in use of investments, as well as secures guarantees against illegal expropriation and nationalization. Some 244 people’s deputies supported the corresponding bill with the quorum being 226 votes.
According to the website of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, the agreement also provides for the free transfer of payments and the application of internationally recognized dispute settlement procedures.
In addition, the parliament ratified the trade agreement between Ukraine and the Kingdom of Thailand.
The corresponding bill, providing for the creation of a special intergovernmental commission on trade, was supported by 241 people’s deputies.
