Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has invited foreign business to participate in the investment council under the Presidential Administration of Ukraine, which will meet twice a year. “We have a very large package of innovations. This is our State in Smartphone project, which will ensure a reduction in red tape pressure on people. It is the presidential administration that is restoring the investment council. We would like to hold it twice a year. And we invite you, because the more this council has foreign business, the more transparent it will be,” Zelensky said at a meeting with German businessmen, the press service of the presidential administration of Ukraine said on Tuesday.
The president of Ukraine noted the need to eliminate the pressure of law enforcement on business. Future plans include ensuring the independence of courts and law enforcement agencies, the creation of “electronic customs” and the fight against smuggling.
“The investment climate is a priority for us. I understand what foreign business is afraid of: our law enforcement agencies, which put pressure on businessmen, our courts, which do not protect it,” the head of the Ukrainian state said.
Representatives of the German business said they hoped for the development of cooperation, but this requires an improvement in the investment climate and the adaptation of European standards in Ukraine.
The event was attended by representatives of companies which total portfolio is EUR 220 billion.
“This is more than two GDPs of Ukraine, and these are about 450,000 jobs,” President of the German-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Andreas Lear said.
The president of Ukraine and business representatives also discussed the investment attractiveness of Ukraine.
Ukraine will start preparing a new program of cooperation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in July, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
The press service of the President of Ukraine reported on Tuesday that Zelensky during a meeting with large- and medium-sized businesses in Germany confirmed the cooperation of Ukraine with the IMF, the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
“We are starting an agreement with the IMF, we will prepare a new program in July, there will be no default,” the president of Ukraine said.
He also said that, as president, he would not influence the courts or the banking system.
As reported, Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Oleksiy Honcharuk said in an interview with NV.Business ezine that Ukraine is preparing for a possible launch of the new three-four-year program of cooperation with the IMF at the end of 2019.
On June 13, 2019, IMF Spokesperson Gerry Rice said in Washington that the IMF expects the completion of parliamentary elections in Ukraine to continue negotiations on further cooperation with the country. Rice recalled that in May the IMF mission worked in Kyiv, which had initial discussions with Zelensky.
The IMF Executive Board, following a meeting on December 19, 2018, approved a new program of cooperation with Ukraine under the Stand-By Arrangement. The amount of the 14-month program is equivalent to SDR 2.8 billion, or about $3.9 billion. Some SDR 1 billion (about $1.4 billion) was provided immediately, while the remaining funds will be provided based on the results of the program reviews in 2019.
The IMF mission worked in Ukraine in May, but left without recommendations on the provision of the new tranche. Head of the mission Ron van Rooden said that the IMF mission is ready to return to Kyiv after the parliamentary elections and the formation of a new government. The IMF team found that fiscal and monetary policies remain on track.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Paris on a one-day official visit. In accordance with the program, upon arrival, the head of the Ukrainian state will visit the world’s largest startup campus Station F opened by French President Emmanuel Macron on June 29, 2017.
At about 15:30 local time Zelensky is to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron in the Elysee Palace. A joint press conference of the presidents is scheduled for 16:30.
Zelensky is also expected to visit the French Senate.
On Monday evening, the Ukrainian president will leave for Germany.
In addition to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Zelensky in Germany will also meet with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky is convinced that Ukraine should be associated not only with agriculture, mines and metallurgy, beautiful people, nature and food, but also with the IT industry. “There has always been a vision for everyone in the world that Ukraine is, above all, agriculture, mines, metallurgists, and tourists have always said that Ukraine is very beautiful, food here is very tasty and people are very beautiful, especially women. Yes, that’s it and it remains our brand, but there are other figures that indicate that the IT industry, IT technologies and companies are developing very quickly in Ukraine,” he said during a visit to Station F, the world’s largest startup campus, in Paris.
According to Zelensky, more than 4% of Ukraine’s GDP is now formed through the IT industry. “We have about 150,000 IT specialists, startup initiators in Ukraine. I think that we will develop in this direction,” he said.
Zelensky noted that in Ukraine there is no such campus for startups yet, but they will work on it. “We have a lot of factories, which, unfortunately, do not work. We will definitely find such a large building,” he said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has decided to set up a team of experts to assess the results of the “judicial reform” conducted by his predecessor, Petro Poroshenko. “Recently we have been concerned by the situation with various courts (in particular the ‘reformed’ ones) proclaiming rulings which lawyers think were not based on the requirements of the Ukrainian Constitution and the law,” Ruslan Riaboshapka, deputy chief of the presidential administration, said.
The presence of such court rulings was a “glaring testament to the failure of the judicial reform” carried out on Poroshenko’s watch, he said.
“This led the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, to decide to form a group of experts to assess the results of the ‘judicial reform’ and prepare legislative and practical steps to urgently resolve the problems of functioning of the judicial branch of government,” Riaboshapka said.
Both the public and Zelensky’s administration expect a swift and principled reaction from the Supreme Council of Justice to such court rulings, the official said.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on June 18 will discuss Minsk agreements and reforms in Ukraine with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, official representative of the German government Ulrike Demmer has said. “During the working lunch, politicians will talk about bilateral relations, the implementation of the Minsk agreements, the conflict in the east of Ukraine and the reform process. Then a press conference will be held,” Demmer told reporters.
According to her, for Germany the “Minsk process” to settle the situation in Ukraine is very important.
“You know how important the Minsk process is to us,” she said. Despite the fact that work within the framework of the format at different levels is ongoing, Demmer did not specify the dates of the summit of the leaders of the Normandy Four or a meeting of foreign ministers.
“Work under the Normandy Four is under way, and I cannot tell you about specific events now,” the spokeswoman for the German government said.
Zelensky will also meet President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Germany.
