In January–August 2026, Ukraine exported 1.64 billion eggs worth a total of $164 million, which is an 18.3% increase in volume and a 37% increase in value compared to the same period in 2025, said Serhiy Karpenko, executive director of the Ukrainian Poultry Farmers’ Union, in an interview with the “Interfax-Ukraine” news agency.
The main buyers of Ukrainian eggs during the first eight months of 2026 were Spain—25.4% of exports—the United Kingdom—13.2%—Poland—8.7%—and the Czech Republic—7.4%. The share of EU countries in exports amounted to 75.9%.
Exports of egg products from January through August 2026 totaled 6.7 thousand metric tons, a 36% increase compared to the same period last year. The main importing countries were Latvia, Poland, and Croatia. The share of EU countries in exports was 76.4%.
According to Karpenko, the top priority markets for further export development are Asian countries, particularly China, the MENA region (the Middle East and North Africa), and ASEAN countries (Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia).
In addition, it is important to open up markets in the United States, South Africa, and Mexico, and to expand exports to EU countries, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq.
As reported, in the first eight months of 2026, Ukraine increased poultry meat exports by 12.5%—to 330,200 metric tons—while foreign exchange earnings from these exports decreased by 2.6%—to $697.9 million. The main buyers were the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Slovakia, and the UAE.
In January–August 2026, Ukraine increased poultry meat exports by 12.5% compared to the same period last year—to 330,200 metric tons—while foreign exchange revenue from these exports decreased by 2.6%—to $697.9 million, according to the Ukrainian Poultry Farmers’ Union.
In August 2026, poultry meat exports totaled 40,600 metric tons, which is 1.5% less than in July (41,200 metric tons).
In monetary terms, August exports fell by 7.9% compared to July, to $82.2 million. The average export price for poultry meat in August was $2.02/kg, which is 20.9% lower than in August of last year. According to the Association, this is due to changes in the range of exported products and a decline in export prices on foreign markets.
The main buyers of Ukrainian poultry meat during the first eight months of 2026 were the Netherlands (20% of exports), the United Kingdom (11.7%), Slovakia (10.6%), and the UAE (6.4%).
EU countries accounted for 36% of total poultry meat exports during this period, or 118,900 metric tons. In monetary terms, the EU’s share amounted to nearly half of foreign exchange earnings—47%.
According to the “Serbian Economist,” on September 3, Montenegro’s Skupština (parliament) unanimously supported a proposal to amend the Constitution, which would remove the immunity of the country’s president, prime minister, and members of the government in cases of crimes against official duties, including corruption offenses.
All 66 deputies present at the session voted in favor of the proposal; there were no votes against or abstentions. A two-thirds majority of parliamentarians was required to initiate the constitutional amendment process.
This specifically concerns abuse of office, accepting and offering bribes, as well as other corruption-related crimes. The government explains these changes as necessary to address situations where the immunity of a high-ranking official becomes an obstacle to criminal prosecution.
The initiative was drafted by the government back in the spring of 2026. The Cabinet of Ministers proposed amending Article 86 of the Constitution to explicitly revoke immunity for the president and members of the government in cases of crimes against official duties. The government links this reform, in particular, to the implementation of recommendations from the Council of Europe’s anti-corruption group GRECO and Montenegro’s progress under Chapter 23 of the EU accession negotiations.
However, formally, immunity has not yet been abolished. Parliament has instructed the Constitutional Committee to prepare a draft of the amendments within four days. According to Article 156 of the Constitution of Montenegro, after the draft is approved by two-thirds of all deputies, it must undergo a public consultation lasting at least one month, after which the final text must again receive the support of two-thirds of Parliament.
The 2026 fire season in Europe has become one of the most difficult in terms of the geographical spread of fires and the scale of their consequences, with Ukraine ranking among the continent’s most affected countries, the Experts Club information and analytical center reports, citing data from the Global Wildfire Information System (GWIS), the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) and other European bodies.
As of August 31, the area affected by fire in Ukraine was estimated by GWIS at 413.1 thousand hectares, or about 0.69% of the country’s territory. If the Russian Federation is not included in the direct comparison, as the system also takes into account the vast territories of Siberia and the Far East, Ukraine ranks first among the countries of geographical Europe in terms of the absolute area affected by fires.
It is followed by Spain — 242.1 thousand hectares, Italy — 118.3 thousand hectares, France — 105.1 thousand hectares, and Portugal — 60.5 thousand hectares.
In Ukraine, fire statistics have an additional specific feature due to the war. Satellite systems record the territory affected by fire but do not determine its cause. Therefore, alongside heat, drought, careless handling of fire and arson, shelling, explosions and fires along the front line may also play a significant role.
The greatest burden relative to the size of the territory is recorded in the Balkans. In Montenegro, about 1.7% of the country’s territory has been affected by fire, in Bosnia and Herzegovina — more than 1%, and in North Macedonia — about 0.75%. Altogether, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Albania and Serbia have about 142 thousand hectares of burned areas.
A separate feature of the season has been a sharp increase in fire activity in countries where large fires are traditionally less common. In Belgium, the area affected by fires has already exceeded the average for 2012–2025 by more than ten times, in the Netherlands — by approximately three times, in Austria — by 2.5 times, and in France — by almost 2.5 times.
In the EU itself, by August 30, 636.1 thousand hectares of burned areas had been recorded within 1,861 major fires. This is 36% less than in the record year of 2025, but more than twice the long-term average for the same period.
Bringing pharmaceutical production into compliance with European requirements demands significant investments from Ukrainian pharmaceutical manufacturers, which could lead to higher production costs, according to Anatoliy Reder, CEO of the pharmaceutical company “Interchem.”
“We are operating within the paradigm that our country is currently moving toward—alignment with European requirements. We must understand that compliance with European standards, EU directives, and the principles and approaches currently in effect in Europe will require significant additional investments from us—in production, regulatory processes, research, and so on. In other words, this involves enormous additional costs in order to meet, within a relatively short period of time, the requirements that are currently the norm in the European Union. With a gradual transition to these requirements, it must be acknowledged that production costs will rise significantly,” he said in an interview with the “Interfax-Ukraine” news agency.
As Reder noted, compliance with European standards—particularly those incorporated into Ukraine’s law on medicinal products—will automatically require additional investments, which will inevitably lead to price increases.
“We need to speak openly about this. You can’t make pills out of thin air. If additional controls are needed, additional costs will be incurred. Today, we monitor every batch of manufactured products throughout their entire shelf life—something that wasn’t required before—and this involves hundreds and thousands of manufactured batches and, consequently, enormous costs. The additional control points in production required of us by European Union legislation—this means additional equipment, additional laboratory staff, and additional production processes—represent objectively large-scale investments. These costs will inevitably lead to price increases,” he stated.
According to the “Serbian Economist,” Serbia’s economic ties with the European Union are now significantly more extensive than its trade with Russia, while Belgrade’s main dependence on Moscow remains primarily in the energy sector, said Andon Sapundži, Serbia’s ambassador to Ukraine.
According to him, about 70% of Serbia’s exports and imports go to European Union countries, with another approximately 15% going to countries in the region that are candidates or seeking to join the EU, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Albania.
“The remaining countries account for the rest of Serbia’s foreign trade, including the United States, China, and Russia. Russia’s share is approximately 7–8%, and a significant portion of this trade consists of energy resources, primarily natural gas,” Sapundži said in an interview with “Apostrophe.”
According to him, dependence on Russian energy resources remains one of the most sensitive aspects of Serbian-Russian economic relations, which is why Belgrade is working to diversify its sources and supply routes.
Separately, the ambassador commented on the situation surrounding Serbia’s largest oil and gas company, NIS, which has come under U.S. sanctions due to Russian ownership stakes.
According to him, the process of changing NIS’s ownership structure is in full swing. Serbia is discussing the company’s future structure with Hungary’s MOL, while negotiations with Russia’s Gazprom Neft are ongoing. To finalize the deal, appropriate approvals under the U.S. sanctions regime are required, among other things.
Sapundži identified Serbia’s two main priorities as maintaining energy security and finding a long-term, sustainable ownership structure for NIS.
The company is of strategic importance to the country’s economy, as it operates Serbia’s only oil refinery in Pančevo.
At the same time, the diplomat emphasized that a change in trade structure does not mean Serbia is completely abandoning its economic relations with Russia.
Belgrade, meanwhile, continues to pursue EU accession. According to Sapundži, European integration remains a strategic priority for the country, although Serbia’s refusal to join sanctions against Russia is creating difficulties in negotiations with Brussels.
