On November 15, 2024, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency hosted a press conference on “Social Responsibility Practices in Time of War” dedicated to the specifics of Ukrainian business during the war period. The event brought together representatives of leading companies and experts who shared their own cases, innovative practices and visions of the future.
Olena Plakhova, Director of Reputation Management and Marketing at Nova Poshta, emphasized that business in Ukraine is now performing much more than traditional functions and often takes on some of the responsibilities of the state.
“This happens not because of coercion, but because businesses realize their responsibility to society. It is important to rethink the social contract – we not only expect help from the state, but also actively engage in solving urgent problems. For example, the Humanitarian Mail of Ukraine program, which started in 2014, now supports more than 2,000 recipient foundations by providing free delivery of humanitarian aid,” she said.
“Not only did we quickly organize our work, but we also supported local communities and supplied military checkpoints. Our warehouse in Makariv was destroyed, but we found the resources to resume the supply of medicines. It was a unique experience when we had to negotiate logistics corridors and make decisions quickly. In the future, it is important for us to help the victims and participate in the restoration of medical infrastructure, as this is a key part of our mission,” said Yevheniia Piddubna, Corporate Communications Director, Farmak JSC.
In his turn, Oleksandr Sosis, beneficiary of Alliance Bank, noted that the war has changed the emphasis of the company’s social responsibility.
“Previously, our programs were mainly related to employee support, but now the focus has shifted to external initiatives. One example is our Good Deeds Forum, which has become a platform for supporting volunteers. Many of them have become leaders of public initiatives that are now working even more effectively than some government agencies,” he emphasized.
Sergiy Shevchenko, KSG Agro’s press service representative, spoke about the agricultural holding’s activities in the frontline region.
“We have adapted our operations to the war conditions, increased salaries for our employees and strengthened security at our facilities. One of the key areas was ensuring food safety: we increased the number of pigs at our complex in Kherson region from 500 to 20 thousand. This is an important contribution to the stability of the region and support for local communities,” said the farmer.
Maksym Urakin, Director of Development and Marketing at Interfax-Ukraine and founder of the Experts Club think tank, emphasized the importance of helping civilians and creating communication projects in times of war.
“Our project “Find Your Loved Ones” has become a lifesaver for many civilians who have lost contact with their families due to the war. We have combined the efforts of the media and volunteers to search for missing people and have achieved significant results. We also help volunteer initiatives by organizing press conferences, providing information support and supplying mobile hospitals for civilians,” he said.
According to the expert, the Ukrainian economy is showing significant growth despite the challenges.
“In the first nine months of 2024, Ukraine’s GDP grew by 4.5% year-on-year. The results of the metallurgical sector are particularly impressive, as it increased production of steel and rolled products by 22-28% during this period. The agricultural sector also showed a significant increase due to the early harvest of late crops,” said Maxim Urakin.
According to him, Ukrainian business continues to adapt to the war by moving production to safer regions or even abroad.
“Medium-sized businesses are forced to actively migrate across Ukraine and integrate into the European economy – more than 200 companies have opened production facilities in the EU,” Urakin added.
But there are also negative trends. The expert emphasized the need to improve trust in government institutions, as according to an April survey by Active Group and Experts Club, 57% of citizens do not trust government agencies, and 62% do not trust law enforcement agencies.
The event also featured the presentation of the book Unbreakable Business by Oleksandr Holizdra and Serhiy Shevchenko, which tells unique stories about the resilience of Ukrainian companies during the war period. The publication has become a symbol of the entrepreneurial spirit that inspires us to move towards victory.
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The current President of Moldova, Maia Sandu, won the second round of the presidential election held on November 3. According to preliminary data published on the website of the Central Election Commission, she received 55.41% of the vote, while her opponent, former Prosecutor General of Moldova Alexandru Stoianoglo, received 44.59% of the vote.
As of Monday morning, 99.86% of the voting protocols have been counted. Votes from three polling stations in the United States have not been counted.
According to these data, 1,679,293 Moldovan citizens took part in the elections, which is 54.31% of the voters on the voting lists. Sandu received 930,512 votes, while Stoianoglo received 748,781 votes.
Stoianoglo, who ran as a candidate of the opposition Socialist Party, conceded defeat on Sunday evening, thanking voters for their support.
At the same time, Sandu lost the election in Moldova, gaining 48.81% of the vote against Stoianoglo’s 51.19%. In the Gagauz autonomy, Stoianonglo (a Gagauz by nationality) won 97% of the vote, with almost 80% of the residents of the Transnistrian region who took part in the elections also voting for him. More than 26 thousand voters cast their ballots at 30 polling stations open to residents of the left bank of the Nistru River on the right bank.
Sandu won the election with a large margin thanks to the vote abroad. A total of 328,877 voters cast their ballots at 231 polling stations abroad, which is more than 20% of the total number of voters. This is an absolute record of participation in elections by Moldovan citizens abroad. Sandu received more than 270 thousand votes at polling stations abroad, almost 83% of those who voted.
Sandu pledged to “be a president for all”. She said this at a briefing on Monday night, when it became clear that she had won.
“Dear Moldovans, I am grateful to each of you who came to the polls. I heard your voice: those who supported me and those who voted for Mr. Stoianoglo. I pledge to be president for all of you. No one will lose in our choice of a decent future. We may hold different points of view, speak different languages, but we all want peace, understanding and a decent life for our children. This is my main goal for Moldova in the coming years. We need to unite the society,” Sandu said.
Earlier, the Experts Club think tank presented an analytical material on the most important elections in the world in 2024, more detailed video analysis is available here – https://youtu.be/73DB0GbJy4M?si=eGb95W02MgF6KzXU
You can subscribe to the Experts Club YouTube channel here – https://www.youtube.com/@ExpertsClub
Italy, as one of the leading economies in the European Union, continues to recover from the pandemic and crisis of recent years. However, the labor market is facing many challenges, such as a demographic decline, an aging population, and pressure from migration flows. In the first half of 2024, the Italian labor market showed mixed results: improvement in some sectors and stagnation in others.
The Experts Club Information and Analytical Center analyzed the main trends in the Italian economy, the situation on the labor market and the situation of Ukrainian citizens staying in Italy.
The minimum wage in Italy is still not set at the national level. The issue of introducing a minimum wage has been discussed in the country for a long time, but at the moment, the terms of remuneration are regulated by collective agreements concluded by trade unions and employers in various industries. On average, the minimum wage under the agreements is about 8-9 euros per hour, which, if you are fully employed, corresponds to about 1,300-1,500 euros per month.
According to Experts Club, salaries in Italy vary by region, qualification, and industry. Let’s take a look at the average salaries in the main sectors of the economy:
Employment trends:
As of the beginning of 2024, there are about 5 million migrants in Italy, which is almost 9% of the total population. The main nationalities among migrants:
At the beginning of 2024, the number of Ukrainian citizens in Italy increased significantly due to the war in Ukraine. As of February 2024, there are more than 254,000 Ukrainians in Italy who are officially registered with temporary protection. However, the actual number of Ukrainians in the country may exceed 1 million, given the constant flow of refugees and migrants, as well as those who have not officially registered.
These migrants are mainly employed in agriculture, construction, and services related to elderly and childcare. Ukrainians, for example, after the outbreak of war in 2022, made up a significant share of home care workers.
According to the Experts Club information and analytical center, one of the main challenges for Italy is the integration of migrants into the economy. Some sectors are facing a shortage of skilled workers, while others are facing the problem of excess labor, especially among young people. In the coming years, the government will continue to implement programs aimed at supporting the integration and training of young professionals, as well as reducing bureaucratic barriers to job creation.
Thus, the labor market in Italy in the first half of 2024 shows both positive and negative trends. The economy needs skilled workers, especially in the technology and healthcare sectors, while the service sector continues to depend on migrants, who play an important role in solving the country’s demographic problems.
The second round of the presidential election between incumbent President Maia Sandu and Socialist Party candidate Alexandru Stoianoglo began in Moldova on Sunday, NewsMaker reports. Polls opened at 7 am local time and will close at 21:00. There are 2219 polling stations in the country and abroad, of which 1988 are in Moldova and 231 abroad.
A total of 2.7 million voters are registered. The elections are monitored by 2400 observers.
In the first round, Sandu won more than 42% of the vote, while Stoianoglo received almost 26%.
As reported, according to the CEC of Moldova, after counting 100% of the protocols in the presidential election, Maia Sandu, who won 42.45% of the vote, and the candidate from the Party of Socialists, Alexandru Stoianoglo, won 25.98%. Earlier, the Experts Club analytical center presented an analytical material on the most important elections in the world in 2024, more detailed video analysis is available here – https://youtu.be/73DB0GbJy4M?si=eGb95W02MgF6KzXU
You can subscribe to the Experts Club YouTube channel here – https://www.youtube.com/@ExpertsClub
France’s public debt at the end of the second quarter of 2024 rose to 112 percent of GDP, up from 110.5 percent at the end of March.
This was reported by the National Institute for Statistics and Economic Research (Insee).
From April to June, the debt increased by €68.9 billion, reaching €3,228.4 billion.
You can learn more about public debt and the economy in the video on the YouTube channel of the Experts Club think tank: https://youtu.be/gq7twYrWuqE
Incumbent Moldovan President Maia Sandu is the favorite in the presidential race, while candidates Alexandru Stoianoglo and Renato Usatîi are fighting to reach the second round. These are the results of an opinion poll presented on Thursday, conducted by CBS-AXA and commissioned by the WatchDog.MD community. The presidential election in the country will be held next Sunday, October 20.
“Maia Sandu is the favorite in the race, with over 35% ready to vote for her. 9% are ready to vote for the candidate of the Socialist Party, Alexandru Stoianoglo, and 6.4% for the head of the Our Party, Renato Usatîi. The remaining eight candidates are gaining between 0.5 and 3% of the vote,” said Vasyl Kantarzhy, director of CBS-AXA, sociologist.
According to the poll, 85.7% of respondents said they would definitely go to the polls on October 20. Another 8.3% said they were likely to vote.
At the same time, 28.1% of respondents have not decided, 2.9% said they would not go to the polls, and 9.9% did not answer the question.
Vasyl Kantarzhy said that the polls of recent months show an “atypical trend”, namely that “as the election date approaches, the number of undecided voters is growing”.
He attributed this growth mainly to opposition candidates, in particular, Oleksandr Stoianoglo’s claims of Romanian citizenship, as well as the events surrounding the Shora group. “This forced supporters of a number of opposition candidates to reconsider their position and become undecided,” Kantarzy said.
There are 11 candidates registered to run in the presidential election, a record number of candidates for the entire period of national presidential elections in Moldova. In the period from 2000 to 2016, the president of Moldova was elected by the parliament.
The survey was conducted by telephone on October 11-16 with the participation of 1034 people. The margin of error is 3.05%.
Earlier, the Experts Club think tank presented an analytical material on the most important elections in the world in 2024, more detailed video analysis is available here – https://youtu.be/73DB0GbJy4M?si=eGb95W02MgF6KzXU
You can subscribe to the Experts Club YouTube channel here – https://www.youtube.com/@ExpertsClub
