Ukraine has started preparations for negotiations on new agreements on a free trade area (FTA) with Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia and China, Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture Ihor Petrashko has said.
“Preparations are underway for negotiations on an FTA with Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia and China,” he said during a press conference in Kyiv on Tuesday.
He also said Ukraine has started negotiations with the EU on revising the Association Agreement.
Petrashko said the additional capitalization of the Export Credit Agency (ECA) to UAH 2 billion, which is provided by the 2021 national budget, will strengthen Ukraine’s export positions
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has introduced changes to decree of December 9, 2020 No. 1236 “On the establishment of quarantine and the introduction of restrictive anti-epidemic measures in order to prevent the spread in Ukraine of the acute respiratory disease COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus” that lax trade.
Corresponding decree of January 5, 2021 No. 9 was published on the government website on Thursday evening.
In particular, according to the decree, the government allowed the sale of household chemicals, periodicals, collection and storage of waste.
Top 20 countries Ukraine has posted the highest surplus of trade in goods in Jan-Sept of 2020 (thsd USD).
SSC of Ukraine
Foreign trade turnover by the most important positions in Jan-Sept 2020 (import).
Illegal timber trade in Ukraine is about 30% of the legal, or UAH 5 billion per year, Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Roman Abramovsky has said.
“This is a lot of money that can be used for forest management, fire-prevention measures, including replacing the species in the composition of forests,” Abramovsky said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
According to him, in order to comprehensively solve forestry problems, the ministry is working on a strategy for managing Ukrainian forests until 2035, which, in particular, provides for the separation of economic and regulatory functions of the State Forest Resources Agency of Ukraine.
“Everything is kept in one body. There is a conflict of interests, corruption risks. Therefore, part of the economic functions must be given to a separate entity or business entities,” the minister said. He said that it could be one company or a concern with regional units.
The minister also expressed support for the development of electronic auctions for the sale of timber, its certification and traceability “from forest to product.”
In his opinion, it is necessary to provide for the possibility of auctioning both large lots for large woodworking enterprises and small lots for local producers, which today, according to him, “actually depend on the mood of the director of the forestry enterprise.”
At the same time, Abramovsky said that the issue of motivating the heads of forestry enterprises to boost profits remains important.
“Now the payments of a part of the net profit to the state budget are at the level of 90%. This simply depletes funds of enterprises. We will make proposals on this matter that the share of net profit should be 30%, since even in the current state the forestry industry pays UAH 6 billion in taxes, in fact receiving nothing from the state,” Abramovsky said.
During the meeting, Deputy Head of the Office of the President Yulia Kovaliv and British Ambassador to Ukraine Melinda Simmons discussed issues of enhancing trade relations and investments between the countries as part of the implementation of the Agreement on Political Cooperation, Free Trade and Strategic Partnership.
“Today, at a meeting with British Ambassador to Ukraine, Ms. Melinda Simmons, we discussed issues of enhancing trade relations and investments in the framework of the implementation of the Agreement on Political Cooperation, Free Trade and Strategic Partnership,” Kovaliv wrote on her Facebook page.
She also recalled that thanks to the Memorandum with UKEF signed in October 2020, the UK will be able to provide loan guarantees of up to GBP 2.5 billion for British-Ukrainian trade contracts.
“The access of business of both countries to the instrument of loan guarantees will enable to intensify cooperation and stimulate investments in the economy,” Kovaliv added.
