Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman hopes that the parliament would approve at second reading the bill on the national budget of Ukraine for 2019 before December 1, 2018. “Now it is being finalized for second reading together with the Ukrainian parliament. I hope that, and it must be done so, by December 1 Ukraine will receive a balanced, realistic national budget,” he said at a government meeting on Wednesday.
As reported, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff and Ukraine have reached an agreement on economic policies for a new 14-month Stand-By Arrangement (SBA), which will replace the arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF), approved in March 2015 and set to expire in March 2019.
The agreement is subject to approval by the fund’s management and approval by its board of directors. The board’s meeting is expected to take place at the end of the year after the Verkhovna Rada adopts the national budget for 2019 in accordance with the recommendations of the IMF and the increase in gas and heating tariffs for households, reflecting market trends while maintaining support for low-income consumers.
