Ukrainian cheese makers continue to lose market share due to competition from imported products from the EU, despite the trend towards a reduction in external purchases, according to the industry analytical agency Infagro.
According to the report, producers are asking the state for support, in particular through the expansion of cashback programs for domestic cheeses and a review of the tax burden. However, experts assess the chances of significant changes in tax policy or the introduction of import barriers as low.
Analysts consider a more effective step to be the regulation of relations with retail chains to reduce significant retail markups that affect the final cost of products.
According to the agency, cheese imports are currently showing a downward trend in both monthly and annual terms, which is associated with rising prices in Europe and currency fluctuations. It is expected that the volume of foreign purchases will continue to decline.
“Despite the difficult market conditions, Ukrainian producers are in no hurry to lower their base prices. They are probably afraid that retail chains will not respond adequately to lower prices or that it will be difficult to return to previous price levels in the future. At the same time, buyers can already count on significant discounts when purchasing large quantities of products,” Infagro concluded.
EU enlargement is a geopolitical decision, and changes need to be made to the process of accepting new members, but EU member states are not yet ready to name a specific date for Ukraine’s accession, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky insists, said EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas.
“We really need to work on this. But I think I have the feeling that the member states are not ready to name a specific date,” she said in response to questions at the Munich Security Conference on Sunday, according to a correspondent from the Interfax-Ukraine agency.
Kallas recalled that, in addition to Ukraine, Montenegro and Albania have also been on the list of candidates for accession for a long time.
“I think that the priority, the urgent need to move forward and show that Ukraine is part of Europe, exists,” the head of European diplomacy noted.
Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs also agreed with the EU’s unwillingness to set a date for Ukraine’s accession today.
“When I spoke with many heads of state and government of the European Union, I got the impression that at this stage, as we speak here in Munich in February, there is no readiness to set a date,” he said.
In his opinion, there is a desire to see Ukraine become part of the EU as soon as possible.
“The EU has always been very creative when it was really necessary. And we can find a formula that will probably suit us,” the Latvian president believes.
According to him, two other issues need to be resolved as part of this decision: the admission of candidate countries from the Western Balkans, which have long been promised this, and Moldova.
“When talking about Ukraine, don’t forget about Moldova. If Ukraine joins, we cannot exclude Moldova from this. So it’s not just about Ukraine anymore. We are talking about perhaps the largest unifying expansion, but probably under different rules,” Rinkēvičs explained.
In his opinion, it will then be necessary to return to a very serious discussion of what the entire structure of European Union decision-making will look like.
The Latvian president also stressed that the date of Ukraine’s possible accession to the EU, whether we like it or not, is now very much linked to a peace agreement with Russia — will there be a peace agreement or not?
“To be honest, I don’t see Russia being ready for an agreement. And if Russia doesn’t move, we won’t have an agreement,” he explained.
According to Rinkevics, Zelensky’s appeal to set a date for accession should be heard at a meeting of the European Council.
Ukrzaliznytsia (UZ) has sent its first container train along the Lviv–Fenishlitke (Hungary) route, according to the company’s press service.
According to the report, the project was implemented by a subsidiary of UZ Cargo Poland, a branch of the Lisky Transport Service Center, and a private Hungarian logistics terminal.
Sun Smart Logistics technologies and equipment and modernized platforms of the Lisky Transport Service Center were used for loading on 1520 mm gauge tracks. At the terminal in Fenishlitke, semi-trailers will be reloaded using R2L technology onto T3000 platforms for further travel on 1435 mm gauge tracks. Thanks to the modernized platforms and special technologies, the semi-trailers were loaded without the use of tractors and cranes.
“This trip confirms the efficiency and versatility of containerized transportation of semi-trailers of any type between Ukraine and European Union countries using 1520 and 1435 mm gauges,” Ukrzaliznytsia concluded.
According to Serbian Economist, real estate prices in Montenegro continue to grow at record rates, while residents’ salaries remain significantly below the European average, and rent is becoming less affordable, local analysts note. The cost per square meter of housing in the country is already higher than in some EU countries. According to data from the Statistical Office of Montenegro (Monstat), the average price per square meter of an apartment in new buildings in the third quarter of 2025 was €2,228, in Podgorica – €2,153, in the coastal region – €2,458, and in the northern region – €1,578. Monstat specifies that the indicator is calculated based on primary housing sales transactions.
As reported by local media, real estate agent Haris Osmanagic previously assessed the Podgorica market as overheated and said that prices in the capital had “almost doubled” in a short period of time, with new buildings in some areas being offered at €2,800-3,500 per square meter.
The price increase has also affected the rental market: according to Osmanagic’s estimates, the average cost of a long-term rental in Podgorica is in the range of €550-700 per month, two-room apartments – €800-1,000, three-room apartments – €1,200-2,000.
In the European Union as a whole, housing prices in the third quarter of 2025 rose by 5.5% year-on-year, according to Eurostat data.
Logistical constraints related to the war are leading to a redistribution of corn imports to the European Union in favor of alternative suppliers, with Ukraine’s share in the 2025/26 season declining significantly, according to a review by S&P Global Commodity Insights (Platts).
According to S&P Global Market Intelligence Global Trade Analytics Suite (GTAS), corn imports to the EU in the 2024/25 marketing year amounted to 18.79 million tons, compared to 19.83 million tons in 2023/24, and GTAS forecasts an increase in imports to 21 million tons in 2025/26.
S&P notes that, on average over five years, Ukraine remained the dominant supplier of corn to the EU, supplying about 9.7 million tons per year (53.5% of imports), but in the 2025/26 marketing year (July-June), the structure of supplies changed: Brazil’s share grew to 40%, the US’s share rose to 28.3%, while Ukraine’s share fell to 22.4%.
Market participants reported delays in receiving contracted Ukrainian corn, which led buyers to switch more actively to Brazil and the US. Market participants cited the EU-Mercosur trade agenda as an additional factor in choosing the origin of products.
Spain, the Netherlands, and Italy remain among the largest corn importers in the EU. According to the European Commission, Spain imported 7.2 million tons in 2024/25 MY (7.6 million tons in 2023/24), the Netherlands imported 3.3 million tons (2.6 million tons), and Italy imported 2.8 million tons (2.1 million tons).
At the same time, Spain, as a price-sensitive market, has recently switched to more competitively priced American corn, while Ukrainian corn was relatively expensive amid high demand from Turkey, the review says.
Platts price benchmarks for February 3: feed corn ex-works Tarragona (Spain) – €213/t with loading between February 3 and March 5, Ukrainian corn – $223/t FOB POC (Odessa-Pivdenny-Chernomorsk ports) with loading between March 3 and 17, Brazilian corn – $210.81/t FOB Santos with loading in August.
In 2024, 68% of EU residents living in households lived in housing owned by their household, which is 1 percentage point less than a year earlier (69% in 2023), according to the European Union’s statistical service (Eurostat).
According to Eurostat, the share of those living in rented housing increased to 32% (31% in 2023).
At the same time, the largest share of owners was recorded in Romania (94%), followed by Slovakia (93%) and Hungary (92%). The only EU country where there are more tenants than owners is Germany (53% of the population are tenants).
Eurostat specifies that the indicator reflects not the number of properties, but the share of people living in owner-occupied or rented households (EU-SILC data). In 2024, 44.2% of people in the EU lived in housing owned by the household without a mortgage or housing loan, and 24.3% lived in housing owned with a mortgage or loan. Among tenants, 21.1% paid market rent, while 10.5% lived at a reduced rate or free of charge.
