Slovakia may begin construction of a highway leading from Kosice to the Uzhhorod-Vysne Nemecke checkpoint on the border with Ukraine, the press service of the Ukrainian Ministry of Finance reported on Friday.
The project of building a new highway was discussed at bilateral talks on improving cross-border communication in Slovakia with the participation of Deputy Finance Minister of Ukraine Oleksandr Kava as part of a government delegation headed by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
“The meeting also discussed the project of building a highway from the Uzhhorod-Vysne Nemecke checkpoint to the suburbs of Kosice. This is part of Slovakia’s main highway, the D1, which connects the country’s two largest cities, Bratislava and Kosice, and is also part of the pan-European network of expressways,” the statement said.
The parties also discussed the issue of opening the Uzhhorod-Vysne Nemecke checkpoint not only for cars, but also for pedestrians and cyclists. The checkpoint will be accessible by public transport from both sides of the border without the need to use a car.
“This is especially important for residents and guests of the regional center of Zakarpattia Oblast, as it will provide them with more opportunities for movement,” the press service adds.
In addition, it is planned to expand the automobile part of the checkpoint from four to five lanes, which will increase its capacity.
Kava, quoted in the report, noted that the agreements reached are a step towards creating a smooth and dynamic cross-border connection.
“They will not only improve the daily lives of our citizens, but will also contribute to overall economic growth together with partner countries,” the deputy minister said.
Earlier, Deputy Minister of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development Serhiy Derkach said that a passenger terminal with several lines of traffic for passenger buses would be built at the Uzhhorod-Vysne Nemecke checkpoint on the border with Slovakia by the end of 2024.
The volume of completed construction works in Ukraine in 2023 increased by 41.5% compared to 2022 – up to 162.7 billion UAH, according to the data of the State Statistics Service (Gosstat).
According to the statistics department, the volume of construction work in residential construction by the end of 2023 increased by 11.1% compared to the previous year, to 22.3 billion UAH; in non-residential – increased by 38.1%, to 41.5 billion UAH; in engineering – by 52.6%, to 98.8 billion UAH.
In December-2023, the volume of construction work exceeded the figure of December-2022 by 35.1%, and the previous month – by 85.8%, notes the State Statistics Service.
As reported by the State Statistics Office, in January-December 2023 to the same period of 2022, the reduction in construction was observed in the segment of housing – by 4.6%. At the same time, non-residential and engineering construction recorded an increase in volumes – by 20% and 32.9%, respectively.
According to the seasonally adjusted data of the department, the indices of construction products in December-2023 in residential construction amounted to 49.4%, in non-residential – 88.3%, in engineering – 112.7%, and taking into account the effect of calendar days, the indicators are 71.5%, 188% and 273% respectively.
The share of new construction to the total volume of completed construction works amounted to 36.3%, repair – 42.9%, reconstruction and technical re-equipment – 20.8%.
The State Statistics Service notes that the publication of data was postponed due to martial law. Statdata are given without taking into account the temporarily occupied territories and part of the territories where hostilities are (were) conducted.
As reported, the volume of completed construction works in Ukraine in 2022 decreased by 2.2 times compared to 2021 – to 113.8 billion UAH.
The Lithuanian Ministry of Energy intends to ban the use of Chinese software during the construction of solar and wind power plants with a capacity of more than 100 kW, said the head of the department, Dainius Kreivis.
According to him, no such restrictions are planned for low-capacity power plants installed by residents of the country.
“We are preparing documents so that all equipment, even in private investments, that generates more than 100 kW, cannot use any Chinese software,” Kravis told Ziniu radijas radio station on Thursday, answering the question whether Lithuania should abandon Chinese technology in the country’s power system.
“That is what we plan to do. I think the decisions we will make will solve the problem,” the minister said.
The Energy Minister emphasized that government agencies are already prohibited from installing Chinese-made software.
According to Kravis, despite the growing number of household electricity producers, there is currently no threat of “excessive use” of Chinese equipment at their facilities.
President of the Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists Vidmantas Janulevicius said at a meeting of the Seimas Committee on Economics in late March that Chinese software is often used in the construction of renewable energy facilities both in Lithuania and in the rest of Europe. He suggested looking for funds to replace Chinese technology at existing power plants with Western software.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has allocated another UAH 5.6 billion for the construction of fortifications in Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Mykolaiv and Kherson regions, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal said.
“This year, the government has already allocated UAH 20 billion for the construction of reliable fortifications. Today we are adding another UAH 5.6 billion,” Shmyhal wrote on his Telegram channel following a government meeting on Tuesday.
In particular, UAH 1.1 billion has been allocated for the construction of fortifications in Donetsk region, more than UAH 1 billion for Zaporizhzhia region, UAH 1.5 billion for Sumy region, as well as UAH 300 million and UAH 400 million for Mykolaiv and Kherson regions, respectively.
The construction of an overpass at the intersection of Bohatyrska and Polyarna streets in Kyiv is scheduled to be completed in September and traffic will be opened in May, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
“Work on the construction of an overpass at the intersection of Bohatyrska and Polyarna streets continues around the clock, seven days a week,” Klitschko wrote in his telegram channel.
Klitschko noted that it is planned to open traffic by May.
And it is planned to complete all the work on the site and fully open the traffic with exits by September this year, the mayor said.
The total area of residential buildings for which construction permits were issued (new construction) decreased by 37% in 2023 compared to 2022, to 4.2 million square meters, the State Statistics Service (Ukrstat) reported.
According to the statistics agency, in January-December 2023, the total area of new construction of apartment buildings decreased by 38.2% year-on-year to 4 million 33.6 thousand square meters, while the area of single-family houses increased by 26.5% to 164.5 thousand square meters. The number of apartments in apartment buildings declared for construction decreased by 1.8 times and amounted to 46.2 thousand square meters.
In Kyiv in 2023, the total area of new housing construction decreased by 66% compared to 2022, to 299.4 thousand square meters, and in Kyiv region – by 67%, to 616.1 thousand square meters.
According to the State Statistics Service, new construction in Lviv region decreased by 14% year-on-year to 870.3 thousand square meters, and in Khmelnytsky region by 5.3% to 313.1 thousand square meters.
At the same time, in Ivano-Frankivsk region, the volume of new construction in 2023 amounted to 469 thousand square meters, which is 2.3 times higher than the previous year. The increase in volumes was also recorded in Chernivtsi region – “plus” 275.4%, up to 225.4 thousand square meters, Zakarpattia region – “plus” 79.3%, up to 256 thousand square meters, Vinnytsia region – “plus” 77.4%, up to 230.6 thousand square meters.
In other regions of Ukraine, the volume of new construction last year showed a drop compared to the previous year and amounted to less than 200 thousand square meters.
The State Statistics Service reminds that the figures are given without taking into account the territories temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation and part of the territories where hostilities are ongoing (or have been ongoing).
As reported, the total area of new housing construction in 2022 amounted to 6.67 million square meters, in 2021 – 12.7 million square meters.
