About 90% of respondents consider corruption one of the main problems of Ukraine, according to a survey by the State Bureau of Investigation on the attitude of Ukrainians to corruption, published in the Telegram channel of the department.
“Some 85-90% of all respondents agreed that corruption is one of the main problems of Ukraine. Although 51% of respondents in the Telegram channel said that at least once in their lives they gave a bribe, and on Twitter this figure is as much as 71.6%,” the department reported.
At the same time, the SBI reminded that the bribe-taker is not only the one who takes the money, but also the one who gives it, without exceptions or excuses.
It is also noted that 10-15% of respondents do not know what an “illegal benefit” is. The department explained that the illicit benefit is cash or other property, benefits, services, intangible assets, any other intangible or non-monetary benefits that are promised, offered, provided or received without legal grounds.
The SBI also called on Ukrainians to apply to the department for extortion of bribes.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) a part of the Green Cities Framework 2 will provide a senior loan of up to EUR 28.5 million to Communal Enterprise Spetskomuntrans to finance the rehabilitation and modernisation of solid waste infrastructure in the City of Khmelnytsky estimated at EUR 36.5 million.
The decision was made by the bank’s board on September 2, EBRD Senior External Relations Advisor Anton Usov has told Interfax-Ukraine.
The senior loan split into several tranches co-financed by up to EUR 5.0 million investment grant from the EU Neighbourhood Investment Platform and up to EUR 3.0 million local contribution.
The phase I of the project will address the city’s urgent investment needs with respect to the rehabilitation of the existing landfill, the construction of a new engineered sanitary landfill in compliance with the EU standards adjacent to the old one, the acquisition of new landfill equipment to ensure sustainable operation of the new landfill, and improvements of the solid waste collection and transportation systems co-financed from the city’s budget.
The phase II of the project includes the construction of a new material recovery facility for non-organic waste and a separate composting facility for pre-sorted organic waste that will reduce the share of solid waste going to the landfill by promoting recycling and providing a modern solid waste management infrastructure with respect to sorting and composting. The project will ensure that a long-term, sustainable solid waste management strategy is properly implemented.
EBRD, KHMELNYTSKY, LOAN, PROBLEM, WASTE
The crisis in Ukraine and around Ukraine is the key problem of security on the European continent, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Slovakia’s Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčák said in an interview for the Faces of Peace project.
“The number of casualties we have seen in eastern Ukraine in the past five years is higher than anything we have seen elsewhere in Europe this century,” he said.
Lajčák said the OSCE’s Special Monitoring Mission (SMM), which is made up of more than 1,300 members, has done extremely important work since it was deployed in Ukraine during the spring of 2014.
“Our monitors are in the field observing and reporting on ceasefire violations, monitoring the latest developments and the hardship faced by people,” he said.
Lajčák evaluated the current situation in eastern Ukraine, noting that the ceasefire agreement starting on July 21, 2019, was a positive development leading to a significant decrease in the number of casualties among the civilian population and ceasefire violations.
“Nevertheless, unfortunately recently (As at October 11, 2019) there were days when there were more ceasefire violations than before recommitment,” he said.
Lajčák focused attention on the fact that “positive dynamics between Russia and Ukraine led to the exchange of prisoners” and noted important steps in taken under the aegis of the Trilateral Contact Group on regulating the situation in Donbas, where the sides agreed to the process of withdrawing forces and the so-called Steinmeier Formula. He also noted repair work done to help people crossing the bridge in Stanytsia Luhanska.
Lajčák expressed the hope that there would soon be a summit of Normandy Four leaders (Ukraine, Germany, France and Russia).
“There have been very good discussions within the Normandy Format that will, I hope, lead to a long-awaited Summit of the Normandy Four leaders,” he said.
Slovakia has had the rotating chairmanship of the OSCE since January 1, 2019, when Lajčák became Chairperson-in-Office. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko has invited him to jointly visit Stanytsia Luhanska and inspect infrastructure repairs there.
