Zaporizhzhia-based Zaporizhstal Iron and Steel Works has successfully passed an audit for compliance of its hot-rolled and cold-rolled products with the requirements of EN 10025 and EN 10130 standards, the company announced on Tuesday.
According to a press release, on February 24 and 25, 2025, an auditor from Technical and Management Services LLC, a corporate partner of the certification company TÜV ZÜD, inspected the manufacturing technology of Zaporizhstal’s hot-rolled and cold-rolled products.
To confirm that the mechanical properties of rolled products meet the requirements of the standards, metal samples were taken and tested at the plant’s product testing and certification center. The auditor reviewed the technical and organizational documentation and highly appreciated the systematic work aimed at improving product quality and implementing new approaches to customer focus.
Based on the audit results, Zaporizhstal confirmed the compliance of its hot-rolled and cold-rolled products with the requirements of EN 10025-1:2004, Annex ZA, Construction Regulation 305/2011/EU and EN 10130.
In addition, the scope of the certificate has been extended to cover hot-rolled products made from steel grades suitable for cold forming and bending. This will open up opportunities for the sale of such rolled products in accordance with the requests of European consumers.
At the same time, it is reminded that Zaporizhstal has been operating in accordance with the requirements of EN 10025-1: 2004 and EN 10130: 2006. The plant has also been certified and regularly confirms its compliance with the requirements of international standards for the quality management system IS0 9001 since 2003, the environmental management system ISO 14001 and the occupational health and safety management system ISO 45001 since 2008, the statement said.
“Zaporizhstal is one of the largest industrial enterprises in Ukraine, whose products are in great demand among consumers both in the domestic market and in many countries of the world.
“Zaporizhstal is in the process of integration into Metinvest Group, whose major shareholders are System Capital Management (71.24%) and Smart Holding Group (23.76%).
Metinvest Holding LLC is the management company of Metinvest Group.
The European Commission (EC) wants to have a well-balanced list of goods from the United States on which it intends to impose higher tariffs and buy time for trade talks with Washington, so it is postponing the deadline for its countermeasures.
EC spokesmen explained at a briefing in Brussels on Friday that there are two complementary parts of the list of goods. One is due to enter into force on April 1, and the other in mid-April.
“This week, the (European) Commission decided to reconcile the schedule of its various countermeasures. This is because, by clarifying this schedule, it is possible to consult with member states on both lists. Secondly, it allows us to be more effective, to achieve a better balance between products, taking into account the interests of European producers, exporters, consumers,” said Olof Gill, the EC spokesman.
“And this allows us to have more time to discuss with the US administration. Let me remind you that our goal is to avoid customs duties that would harm everyone on both sides of the Atlantic. That’s why we are preparing for negotiations with the United States, trying to buy time to reach an agreement,” added Gill.
According to him, if these talks do not lead to a satisfactory result, there will be a “firm and targeted reaction” of the EU in response to the US measures in order to “reduce the negative consequences for Europe”.
“We will be ready to respond to any development,” the EC representative emphasized.
Earlier, EC President Ursula von der Leyen said that the postponement of the application of increased EU customs duties to a number of American goods is related to the search for the best consideration of the interests of the European side. “We have decided to clarify the time when our tariffs will take effect. This does not change the effect of our retaliatory measures. And this is important, because they reach 26 billion euros, which is the equivalent of $28 billion of potential US tariffs,” the EC President said at a press conference in Brussels on Friday night.
Ukraine, together with its European partners, is launching a new EU4Green Recovery East project aimed at developing a circular economy, sustainable water management and environmental data management, said Svitlana Hrynchuk, Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine.
“The initiative covers the Eastern Partnership countries and will help them promote reforms. It will last for four years and has a total budget of 21.5 million euros. For Ukraine, which is on the verge of large-scale reconstruction, this is a great opportunity and significant assistance,” Hrynchuk wrote on Facebook.
She pointed out that, together with UNDP, Ukraine is currently working on a draft law “On Green Recovery,” which is fully consistent with the Green Taxonomy and EU experience. It will become Ukraine’s strategy for sustainable recovery, the minister emphasized.
“In addition, EU4Green Recovery East is an opportunity for Ukrainian businesses to increase resource efficiency and create new jobs,” she added.
The first steps have already been taken in preparing a work plan to adapt the Program’s activities to the specific needs of Ukraine. Technical meetings of experts in the relevant fields are ahead.
“The strategic partnership with the EU has already had its results, including in the field of environmental protection. In times of war, it is our support and our rear. I am confident that in the time of Ukraine’s reconstruction, these will be our joint successes and achievements,” summarized Hrynchuk.
In the European Union, 3.67 million children were born in 2023, according to the EU Statistical Office (Eurostat). This is 5.4% lower than in 2022, when the number of newborns was 3.88 million.
The figure is the lowest since data collection began in 1961, and the year-on-year drop was also a record for this period. The highest number of children was born in 1964 – 6.8 million.
In 2023, the total fertility rate (the average number of children born per woman in her lifetime) fell to a record low of 1.38, compared to 1.46 the previous year.
Source: https://t.me/relocationrs/593
Ukraine may soon become the main supplier of biomethane to the European Union, with the share of Ukrainian biomethane in the European market reaching 20% in the future, said Georgiy Geletukha, Chairman of the Board of the Bioenergy Association of Ukraine (BAU).
“Ukraine has almost ideal conditions for biomethane production. We have medium and large agricultural enterprises with 3 thousand hectares of land (under cultivation – IF-U). We can get raw materials for the plant from a single source. We have a well-developed gas structure: distribution networks and a gas transmission network. We have the highest density of gas network coverage in the whole of Europe. We have the largest area of agricultural land and, accordingly, the largest resource. Therefore, this is a very promising topic for us,” he said at the Ukrainian Investment Congress in Kyiv.
Heletukha emphasized that Europe has ambitious plans for the production and consumption of biomethane and aims to consume about 35 billion cubic meters in 2030. At present, European production is estimated at around 3 billion cubic meters. Given the current trends in the alternative energy market, the EU will be able to increase its own production to 20 billion cubic meters of biomethane within five years.
The expert explained this delay in the development of the biomethane market in Europe by the lack of large free areas of agricultural land and, accordingly, the inability to produce the necessary amount of raw materials for processing.
“And according to all trends, it will not have time to produce 35 billion cubic meters. Well, according to the trends over the past five years, they will reach about 20 billion cubic meters. The market there (in the EU – IF-U) is completely different for agricultural products. It is deficit. And it will be deficient at least until 2050. And after 2030, Europe is setting new plans – production and consumption of 100 billion cubic meters of biomethane by 2050. It will be the same story. That is, they do not have time, they do not have enough raw materials,” Geletukha emphasized.
He suggested that if Ukraine were to produce up to 15 billion cubic meters of biomethane now, the EU would “buy everything with a bang.”
The UABIO CEO reminded that three powerful producers – MHP, Vitagro and Gals Agro – have already launched biomethane production in Ukraine, of which two have already started exporting, and the third is accumulating stocks in storage and will start exporting in the near future.
According to him, in Ukraine, the range of biomethane producers and potential exporters will expand in 2025. They will be joined by another MHP enterprise, Teofipol Energy Company and Józefów-Mykolaiv Biogas Company. In total, Ukrainian facilities will produce 111 million cubic meters of biomethane per year.
At a cost of EUR900 per 1 thousand cubic meters of biomethane produced from crop waste or from livestock waste, including manure or litter, at EUR1100-1200 per 1 thousand cubic meters, Ukraine will be able to receive up to EUR100 billion a year from exporting these products to the EU, Geletukha predicts.
As reported, the first batch of Ukrainian biomethane of 67 thousand cubic meters was exported on February 7, 2025 by Vitagro, an energy holding whose plant with a capacity of 3 million cubic meters of biomethane per year operates in Khmelnytsky region. The exports were made to Germany.
On February 11, MHP’s biomethane plant Oril-Leader (Dnipropetrovska oblast) exported 27.4 thousand cubic meters of biomethane, becoming the second Ukrainian company to do so. MHP exported biomethane via gas pipelines across the Ukrainian-Polish border to Germany. The buyer was Vitol. The capacity of Oril-Leader is 11 million cubic meters per year.
The Gals Agro agricultural holding has built a biomethane plant with a capacity of 3 million cubic meters in Chernihiv region. The company has already been connected to the grid and is preparing to make its first biomethane export transaction.
One of the criteria for participation in state reconstruction programs should be their compliance with the new law “On the Placing of Construction Products on the Market”, also known as EU Regulation 305, says Andriy Ozeychuk, director of the engineering and construction company Rauta and chairman of the board of directors of the Ukrainian Steel Construction Center Association.
“The implementation of the requirements of Regulation 305 will improve the quality of Ukrainian construction products to the European level and create prerequisites for Ukrainian producers to participate in international tenders for the reconstruction of Ukraine and open up opportunities for exporting construction materials to the EU market,” he explained during the roundtable discussion ”Public Partnership and Investment in Territorial Recovery. How to Involve Ukrainian Construction Materials Producers in the Reconstruction Process” at the Interfax-Ukraine press center on Friday.
Mr. Ozeychuk emphasized that the state should promote more active involvement of Ukrainian producers in the recovery process and create the preconditions for the development of the construction industry.
According to him, there are currently no designated conformity assessment bodies for several product categories to fully implement Regulation 305. Another pressing issue is the possibility of recognizing the test results of EU laboratories in Ukraine, which will avoid the procedure for obtaining a certificate of stability of indicators.
He also mentioned the persistence of corruption in tenders, when the terms of reference are prescribed for the products of a particular manufacturer.
At the same time, he believes it is crucial to eliminate non-market pricing, when the real wages of construction workers differ significantly from those that can be agreed upon by the regulatory authorities; to reduce the risks of non-payment for work performed and delays in financing.
Mr. Ozeychuk noted that the state should take a systematic approach to restoring the war-affected industry. It is necessary to support the creation of new production facilities for construction materials that are not produced in Ukraine or their production volumes are insufficient for potential recovery (European steel, thick plates, hardware, glass, insulation, membranes, etc.)
“It is important for the state to encourage European partners to involve Ukrainian producers in financing the recovery, rather than importing structures from the EU, as is sometimes the case now. (It should – IF-U) give preference to Ukrainian producers without limiting foreign suppliers of products and services, unless there is a full-fledged alternative in Ukraine. This is especially true for products that are equivalent in quality to their European counterparts,” Ozeychuk emphasized.
He pointed out that Ukrainian manufacturers of metal structures have sufficient potential for recovery and are already at the level of European ones: they design according to Eurocodes, work according to modern EN 1090 standards and use BIM technologies, the expert explained.
