The Verkhovna Rada has ratified a financial agreement between Ukraine and the European Investment Bank (EIB) to improve road safety. Some 334 deputies voted on Thursday for corresponding draft law No. 0014 of December 13, 2019, the parliament’s website said.
According to the text of the explanatory note, the agreement stipulates the provision by Ukraine of the EIB state guarantee to ensure the implementation of the project “Improving Road Safety in Ukrainian Cities.”
It is expected that the project will reduce the number of accidents and the severity of their consequences; increase the share of travel by bicycle, on foot or by public transport in the total volume of traffic and, accordingly, reduce the number of trips by private transport. In addition, the project will reduce the time spent by passengers at public transport stops, as well as the operating costs of road transport owners and emissions of harmful substances into the air.
According to Minister of Infrastructure Vladyslav Krykliy, the estimated cost of the project is EUR 177 million, of which an IEB loan is EUR 75 million (the agreement was signed on July 9, 2018), a loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is estimated at EUR 75 million (it is planned to sign the agreement in 2020 year), and own funds of cities and technical assistance totaling EUR 27 million.
“Improving safety for the cities of Lviv, Odesa, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Kamenetz-Podilsky includes improving the infrastructure of road intersections, infrastructure for cyclists and public transport, arranging facilities to reduce speed in settlements and near schools, etc.,” he said on his Facebook page on Thursday evening.
Epicenter K LLC (Kyiv) is negotiating the financing of a project to expand grain storage infrastructure, purchase of agricultural machinery and grain hoppers for the amount of over EUR 100 million with the European Investment Bank (EIB).
“The Epicenter K company is in the negotiation process with the European Investment Bank regarding obtaining a loan of more than EUR 100 million, but the company has not yet made a final decision on obtaining it,” the company said.
As reported, the EIB board of director on November 14, 2019 approved a project to provide financing for the expansion of grain storage infrastructure, the acquisition of new agricultural machinery and equipment, as well as railway cars for grain transportation.
The bank expects that, thanks to the project, 1,100 additional permanent jobs will be created for new operations, 300 workers will be hired for the construction period and 15-20 local subcontracting small and medium-sized enterprises will be involved.
The EIB also indicates that this operation is covered by the political risk guarantee of the European Union for EIB loans outside the EU.
Epicenter K has been developing the agricultural business since 2016. The agricultural division of the Epicenter K group of companies cultivates over 120,000 hectares of land in Vinnytsia, Khmelnytsky, Ternopil, Cherkasy, and Kyiv regions. The group also includes 20 livestock farms and six silos. Epicenter K plans to reach one million tonnes of grain storage capacity.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) are ready to provide a targeted loan in the amount of EUR 900 million to Ukraine to develop the road sector, acting Head of the State Automobile Roads Agency of Ukraine (Ukravtodor) Slawomir Nowak has said. “I have already held negotiations with the EBRD and the EIB. A new credit line will be opened for Ukraine in the amount of EUR 900 million,” he said.
According to Nowak, the negotiations were very difficult, but trust in the state and its managers ultimately allowed for a positive solution.
“Within the framework of this new credit line, we will also offer to finance the Weight-in-Motion system at the next stage,” the acting chief of Ukravtodor said.
Nowak also said that he recommended that Minister of Infrastructure Vladyslav Krykliy eararks funds from the Road Fund allocated for road safety to the installation of the Weight-in-Motion (WiM) system.
As reported, Ukravtodor launched in test mode the first two WiM points on the Kyiv-Chop highway.
On September 11, the Rada adopted at second reading a bill allowing automatic recording of violations during weight monitoring on roads.
Weight-in-Motion (WiM) systems will fulfill a function of pre-selection for inspectors of the State Service of Ukraine for Transport Safety until a law allowing automatic weight and weight control on roads is passed.
Ukravtodor previously planned in October to launch the first six WiM points at the entrances to Kyiv. In general, it is planned to install up to 100 WiM points.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has issued a long-term low-interest loan in the amount of EUR 200 million to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine within the Early Recovery Program, Head of the EIB Representation in Ukraine Jean-Erik De Zagon has said, when opening six repaired medical facilities in Kharkiv.
According to him, the funds are used to invest in the restoration of key infrastructure objects in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as to ensure adequate living conditions for internally displaced persons.
He noted that the purpose of the loan is to improve the living standards of people in Eastern Ukraine.
“Our Early Recovery Program was specifically developed to help people of Eastern Ukraine, including thousands of IDPs, deal with tough challenges they are facing following the armed conflict. This EUR 200 million program is part of our overall EUR 5.8 billion portfolio in Ukraine. It aims at improving living standards for people in terms of housing, healthcare and education. And it is a convincing proof that as an EU Priority Partner, Ukraine can greatly benefit from EU support and financing. We are happy to provide help where it is needed most and that it will directly impact the lives of ordinary citizens,” the banker said.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) will provide grant assistance to the State Agency of Automobile Roads of Ukraine (Ukravtodor) to develop a feasibility study for the construction of the Lviv-Mukachevo-Uzhgorod highway with a branch to the Hungarian border, the agency’s press service has reported. “This corridor is very important for Ukraine, because the export flow to the countries of Southern and South-Western Europe is directed through it. In addition, the new road will also provide a stable communication with Zakarpattia region,” Oleksandr Kava, the adviser to the Ukravtodor head, said.
According to the report, the new road will connect with the Hungarian M3 highway through the Dyida checkpoint and the Slovak D1 highway through the Uzhgorod checkpoint.
The maximum speed on the highway will be 130 km/h.
“This road will reduce the trip time in the direction of Lviv-Mukachevo to an hour and a half instead of the current 3.5 hours,” the report says.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is considering Khrakiv region as one of the priority regions for cooperation in Ukraine and the bank is negotiating with Kharkiv authorities on the participation in the Safe City project, Head of EIB Resident Representation for Ukraine Jean-Erik De Zagon has said. In order to develop small and medium-sized enterprises (SME), it is necessary to create a good climate, De Zagon said at a briefing before the start of the Kharkiv SME Day Forum in Kharkiv on Tuesday.
The bank sees that in Kharkiv region there is indeed development in the medical field, as well as in the field of transport and education, much is being done to improve the infrastructure and living conditions, he said, adding that this is done thanks to the efforts of the local authorities and the bank.
His bank has already sent EUR 1.5 billion to the development of SME in Ukraine in general and plans to continue financing projects for SME,” the head of the EIB Resident Representation for Ukraine said.
Answering journalists’ questions, de Zagon confirmed that the EIB is negotiating with the authorities of Kharkiv on participation in the Safe City project.
The bank is at the negotiation stage. The bank has not yet reached any specific agreements, but we are moving very fruitfully along this path, de Zagon said.
Yesterday, in particular, he was shown a pilot dispatch center for city traffic control center that will be used for the road network and infrastructure to work well. The bank has already provided EUR 21 million for this and will continue to cooperate, he said.
