According to a special Eurobarometer survey published on September 2, 2025, 56% of EU citizens support further enlargement of the Union, i.e., the admission of new countries to the EU.
Support is particularly high among young people: among respondents aged 15 to 39, about two-thirds believe that new countries should join the EU as soon as they meet the necessary conditions.
Also, 56% believe that their own country will benefit from enlargement; at the same time, 67% admit that they are not sufficiently informed about enlargement policy.
The survey was conducted as part of the Special Eurobarometer and Perception Surveys commissioned by the European Commission. Thousands of respondents in EU countries and candidate countries were surveyed using a standardized face-to-face or online questionnaire, depending on the country. The aim was to gauge the level of support for enlargement, perceptions of the EU, and the degree of awareness among citizens.
The corn market is gradually shifting its focus to the new harvest, last year’s grain has almost lost its liquidity, and there are practically no real deals with it, At the same time, Europe is showing steady interest in
Ukrainian products, and demand from importers remains high, according to the analytical cooperative “Pusk,” created within the framework of the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Council (VAR).
“The new corn harvest is valued on the market in a wide range of $197-203 per ton. Some traders are already offering higher prices — $205-206 on a CPT-port basis with deliveries in October-November. Demand from importers is active, particularly from Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands, with deliveries in November-December. The EU is facing serious yield problems. In France, the first threshing showed only 3-4 tons/ha. Other corn producers — Romania, Hungary, and Poland — are facing similar difficulties, forcing the EU to increase imports from the projected 18-19 million tons to 22-23 million tons, and Ukraine looks to be a key supplier here,” analysts noted.
According to their information, Ukrainian exporters have already sold about 4 million tons of the new harvest to importers with deliveries in November-December. However, there may be a shortage on the market due to weather conditions, which will further stimulate the growth of purchase prices.
“Traders may have to raise prices, but no significant growth is expected. One of the determining factors will be the progress of the harvesting campaign. Due to the delay in vegetation, the first significant batches of corn from the center and north will arrive only in the second half of October. We can predict indicative prices of $220 CPT port in October. However, during this period, American corn will actively enter the market. Its volume will significantly exceed demand, which will put serious pressure on prices in October-December. Therefore, in November-January, the market is likely to stabilize at $220-230 CPT port per ton, which is in line with seasonal patterns,” Pusk concluded.
In July 2025, Express Insurance settled insurance claims under CASCO contracts in Bulgaria, Spain, Italy, Latvia, Moldova, Germany, Poland, Slovakia, France, and the Czech Republic.
According to the company’s website, the total amount of payments reached UAH 1.883 million.
It should be noted that in most cases, these were traffic accidents or damage caused by unlawful actions of third parties.
For example, a nighttime encounter with a wild moose while traveling between settlements in Poland resulted in damage to the hood, front bumper, right front door, mirror, windshield, and other elements of the front of the car. The company paid out UAH 1.1 million.
In addition, the company paid UAH 271,800 for damage to the windshields of customers traveling on the roads of Spain, Italy, Germany, and Poland caused by stones flying out from under the wheels of other cars.
While driving out of one of the streets in the old part of Barcelona, a customer accidentally hit a fence and a curb, damaging the front bumper, right rear fender, and plastic trim under the right sill. The CASCO payment amounted to over UAH 40,000.
Express Insurance was founded in 2008. It is part of the UkrAVTO group of companies. It specializes in car insurance. The consistently high speed of settlement of claims at the insurance company is ensured by optimal interaction with partner service stations.
As of August 1, 2025, Ukraine has exhausted its ability to export dry milk to the European Union, with butter and milk fats next in line, whose quotas will be exhausted in the third decade of August, according to Ekonomichna Pravda, citing information from the Ukrainian Dairy Industry Association (SMU).
“As of August 1, there is no possibility of exporting dry milk originating in Ukraine to the EU within the quotas. According to the European Commission, as of July 30, the quota (including volumes expected to be allocated) was more than 91% filled, with only about 0.28 thousand tons remaining out of a quota of 2.92 thousand tons,” the publication said.
According to the industry association, the volumes of dry milk already awaiting clearance at the EU border exceed the available quota. From August 1, it no longer makes economic sense to send consignments of dry milk to the EU – they will have to be returned.
Quotas for imports of butter and milk fats to the EU will last a little longer. Currently, they are already more than two-thirds full. If butter exports to the EU remain at the same level in the coming weeks, the quota could be filled by the beginning of the third decade of August.
“The changes have already affected milk prices in Ukraine: in the second half of July, they rose by more than 5%. The reason for this is an attempt by processors to make a profit before the quotas are exhausted. This market trend may change if Brussels does not take new decisions on quotas,” the SMU emphasized.
In 2024, the Metinvest mining and metallurgical group reduced its rolled steel production in the UK and the EU by 13% to 1.367 million tons, which was caused by unfavorable market conditions in the EU, in particular the availability of cheap Russian slab, according to the group’s annual report.
According to the report, flat steel production at Metinvest Trametal decreased by 3% to 466,000 tons, at Ferreira Valsider by 45% to 190,000 tons, and at Spartan UK by 22% to 153,000 tons.
Overall, Trametal accounted for 34% of total production in the UK and the EU last year (31% in 2023), Ferreira Valsider for 14% (22%), Promet Steel for 41% (35%), and Spartan for 11% (12%).
As reported, in 2024, Metinvest reduced sales of finished metallurgical products by 5% compared to the previous year, semi-finished products by 3%, but increased coke sales by 6%, and sales of other products and services increased by 33%.
Revenue from the metallurgical segment remained virtually unchanged compared to 2023 and amounted to $4.824 billion, while the segment’s share in consolidated revenue decreased by 6 percentage points (pp) to 60%.
At the same time, sales of merchantable pig iron decreased by 15% to $266 million due to a 16% reduction in shipments to 558 thousand tons. In particular, the reduction in resales and production volumes of the group amounted to 12% and 52%, respectively. The share of resales in total sales increased by 4 p.p. to 95%. North America and Europe remained the main markets for this product. They accounted for 71% and 23% of total shipments last year, compared with 70% and 26% in 2023.
Sales of semi-finished products increased by 9% last year to $389 million, thanks to a 16% increase in sales volumes to 716,000 tons amid a reduction in inventories. Shipments to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) increased by 237,000 tons, accounting for 50% of total shipments in 2024 (20% in 2023). In contrast, shipments to Europe decreased by 143,000 tons and accounted for 38% of total sales (68% in 2023). The average selling price declined in line with the dynamics of CFR Turkey square billet prices (down 7% compared to 2023).
In 2024, flat steel sales declined by 6% to $2.244 billion. This was due to lower sales prices following the dynamics of the corresponding benchmark for hot-rolled coils CFR Italy, which fell by 9%. Total shipments increased by 7% to 3.047 million tons, driven by a 26% increase in resales to 2.111 million tons, which increased their share in total shipments to 69% (up 10 percentage points). Deliveries were primarily to Europe, which accounted for 72% of the total (71% in 2023). Sales in the region increased by 193,000 tons thanks to demand from key customers, expansion of the customer base, and stable operations at Black Sea ports. Domestic sales accounted for 23% of sales (25% in 2023).
Sales of long products remained unchanged in 2024 at $948 million. Shipments increased by 5% to 1.372 million tons, primarily due to higher production volumes at Kametstal. Ukraine and Europe remained the main markets for these products. They accounted for 45% and 35% of total sales, respectively, compared with 48% and 39% in 2023. The Group increased its shipments to North America, which accounted for 17% of total sales in 2024, compared with 12% a year ago. Average sales prices declined in line with the benchmark for CFR Turkey square billets.
The report notes that in 2024, Metinvest achieved significant results from operational improvements. In particular, in the metallurgical segment, coke consumption at Kametstal was reduced and blast furnace productivity was improved thanks to the rapid adaptation of pulverized coal injection technology to alternative types of coal under military supply restrictions. In addition, the optimization of raw material procurement contributed to the positive results.
Metinvest is a vertically integrated group of mining and metallurgical companies. Its enterprises are located in Ukraine, in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia, and Dnipropetrovsk regions, as well as in the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The main shareholders of the holding company are SCM Group (71.24%) and Smart Holding (23.76%). Metinvest Holding LLC is the management company of the Metinvest Group.
EU, METINVEST, PRODUCTION, rolling, UK
Ukrainian farmers reduced sugar beet acreage in 2025 by 15.4% compared to last year, to 220,000 hectares, according to First Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Taras Vysotsky.
“The Ministry of Agrarian Policy’s estimate (of sugar beet acreage – IF-U) stands at 220,000 hectares, compared to 259,000 hectares last year. We have a guaranteed 15% decline,” he said at a meeting of the Trend&Hedge Club.
When asked whether the European Union’s trade policy had influenced this situation, Vysotsky noted that this was definitely the reason for the decline in production of this crop.
He stressed that Ukrainian processors were very disappointed with the sugar supply volumes to the EU announced in spring 2025, which amounted to 67,000 tons for 2025. Currently, this supply threshold has been raised to 107,000 tons. However, at its peak, supplies to the EU reached 473,000 tons, so when comparing the allocated quota with the peak supply volume, the difference is obvious.
“In fact, the renaissance of the sugar industry in Ukraine was due to duty-free trade with the EU. Then, thanks to the scale and turnover, our producers began to enter other export markets, but the starting point was access to the European market, which has the highest margins. There are no alternatives in terms of margins,” the deputy minister said.
Vysotsky did not rule out that the area under sugar beet cultivation would continue to decline in the coming years. At the same time, he noted that all decisions on this matter would be made by producers taking into account export prospects, particularly to the EU.
